Podcasts about Y combinator

In this episode of the Investing in Integrity podcast, Ross Overline, CEO and co-founder of Scholars of Finance, sits down with Brett Hagler. Brett is a social entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of New Story, a pioneering organization tackling global homelessness through capitalism.You will learn how Brett is transforming traditional philanthropy into sustainable, market-based solutions that serve vulnerable populations while delivering financial returns. They explore why capitalism, when guided by ethics and integrity, can outperform charity in addressing systemic issues. Brett unpacks how New Story Capital structures low-risk real estate investments in developing markets, combining profit with purpose. You'll also hear insights on values-based leadership, building scalable impact, and designing financial models where “more profit equals more impact.” Tune in for a bold reimagining of ethical finance, social entrepreneurship, and the future of charitable investment.Meet Brett Hagler:Brett Hagler is the CEO and co-founder of New Story, a nonprofit revolutionizing the fight against global homelessness. Founded in 2014 alongside Alexandria Lafci, Matthew Marshall, and Mike Arrieta, New Story brings innovation, transparency, and startup principles to the housing sector. After graduating from Y Combinator in 2015, Brett helped pioneer a new model for housing nonprofits. Under his leadership, New Story has raised over $80 million and provided homes for more than 20,000 people across Latin America.

Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is joined by Cate Hall, CEO of Astera Institute and author of a forthcoming book on agency, to explore how individuals can systematically develop higher agency in their lives. They discuss the selection effects that draw agentic people to fields like poker and startups, the importance of being comfortable with ignorance and feedback, and practical strategies like asking "Is there a better way to do this?" ten times daily. Cate shares insights from her journey from Supreme Court lawyer to world champion poker player, including how peer groups, emergencies, and what addicts call "the gift of desperation" can trigger step-changes in personal agency.–Full transcript available here: https://www.complexsystemspodcast.com/stacking-the-odds-cate-hall/–[Patrick notes: Complex Systems now produces occasional video episodes like this one.You can access them directly on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@patio11podcast. My kids inform me that I'm supposed to tell you to like and subscribe.]–Links:Cate Hall's Writing: https://usefulfictions.substack.com/Pre-order Cate's book on agency: https://mailchi.mp/44578760e686/book-preorder-signupAstera: https://astera.org/ –Timestamps:(00:00) Intro (00:28) Exploring the concept of agency(00:56) Selection effects in different fields(01:31) The tech industry evolution(02:54) Y Combinator's changing demographics(04:23) Parallels between poker and startups(15:48) The role of networking and relationships(19:12) Embracing feedback and continuous improvement(23:49) Exploring growth mindset(24:35) AI and personal improvement(27:04) Learning with AI: strategies and cautions(27:53) The value of human interaction(30:19) Professional gamblers and their unique insights(35:05) Understanding agency and its development(38:45) Triggers for increased agency(45:23) Wrap

In this episode, we sit down with Wale Akanbi, one of the co-founders of Aella. Aella became the first African lending fintech admitted to Y Combinator in 2017 and has since served over 2 million users across Nigeria and the Philippines. Wale's journey, from teaching himself programming in Nigerian cyber cafes to building AI-powered financial inclusion tools, is a masterclass in persistence, vision, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.He's currently building solutions at the intersection of AI and blockchain to solve cross-border trust challenges.What we cover:The pressure and lessons from being one of YC's first African lending fintechWhy every engineer doubled as customer service for their first 500K usersThe evolution from rule-based credit scoring to AI models predicting "willingness to pay"Building cross-functional teams in the age of AIHis current work at the intersection of AI and blockchain for cross-border trustWhy helping people matters more than power, fame, or money

Are you a woman leader or entrepreneur considering a career pivot, especially from academia to the dynamic startup world? Do you wonder how to navigate this transition, build crucial relationships, and drive innovation in a new industry? This episode of How Women Inspire addresses these very challenges, offering invaluable insights into making a successful leap and fostering meaningful connections.This week's episode 177 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about transitioning from academia to startups! In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Grace Wei is sharing the importance of building relationships and maintaining connections with experts and mentors. and actionable steps you can take right now to build a team culture at your startup. Grace Wei has held the position of COO at Encellin since 2016. Prior to that, Grace worked as a biologist at UCSF from 2005 to 2015. Grace Wei has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Genetics from McGill University and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Chicago. Grace also completed programs at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Y Combinator.Some of the talking points Julie and Grace go over in this episode include:Why building and maintaining strong relationships is paramount for founders and leadersThe unique benefits of different accelerators and how they can provide access to experts, community, and professional coaching for your startup journey.How transitioning from a specialized field like academia to a startup environment requires humility and a willingness to seek adviceThe importance of team culture for startup success, and how that differs from academia.What steps will you take today to cultivate your network and embrace new challenges?Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast CONNECT WITH GRACE WEI:LinkedInEncellinCONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:LinkedIn - JulieHow Women LeadHow Women InvestHow Women GiveInstagram - HWLLinkedIn - HWLFacebook - HWL

In this technical deep-dive episode, Generation AI hosts Ardis Kadiu and Dr. JC Bonilla unpack Andre Karpathy's groundbreaking keynote on "Software 3.0" - the third revolution in how we tell computers what to do. They explore how we've moved from writing explicit code (Software 1.0) through neural networks (Software 2.0) to programming in plain English with LLMs (Software 3.0). The discussion reveals why LLMs represent a new computing paradigm comparable to the shift from mainframes to personal computers, and why Karpathy believes we're still in the "1960s era" of this revolution. Most importantly, they examine the massive opportunities this creates - from rebuilding infrastructure to creating agent-first applications - and why every software company needs to adapt or risk disruption. Whether you're a developer, entrepreneur, or education professional, this episode provides essential insights into the decade-long transformation ahead.Introduction and Context Setting (00:00:07)Decision to do a "geeky episode" after last week's personal discussionIntroduction to Andre Karpathy's Y Combinator keynote "Software is Evolving Again"Karpathy's background: Tesla self-driving, OpenAI co-founderSetting up the framework for understanding software evolutionSoftware 1.0: The Era of Explicit Instructions (00:03:55)Timeline: 1950s to 2010sProgramming with explicit instructions in languages like Python, C, COBOLDeterministic and predictable behaviorExample: Writing functions to classify spam emails with specific keywordsHow traditional developers were trained in this paradigmSoftware 2.0: Neural Networks as Programs (00:04:59)Timeline: 2010s to 2020sPrograms written as neural network weights instead of codeHumans become data curators rather than code writersTraining as the new form of "compiling" programsExample: Training neural networks on billions of emails for spam detectionThe shift from deterministic to probabilistic programmingSoftware 3.0: Natural Language Programming (00:07:00)Timeline: 2020s onwardProgramming in English through promptingLLMs as programmable computersEveryone becomes a programmerExample: Simply asking an LLM to "classify this email as spam or not"The democratization of programmingLLMs as the New Operating System (00:10:26)Three perspectives: utilities, fabrication plants, and operating systemsLLMs as utilities: like electricity, metered access, high reliabilityLLMs as fabs: enormous capital requirements, deep technical secretsLLMs as OS: new computing platform with CPU (LLM) and RAM (context window)Comparison to 1960s mainframe era - centralized, expensive computingThe Missing GUI for Intelligence (00:15:35)Current state: still in the "terminal phase" of AI computingNo graphical user interface for intelligence yetDiscussion on whether we'll skip to voice or need visual interfacesImportance of visual bandwidth for human information processingThe need for discoverability in interfacesDigital Spirits and AI Limitations (00:20:58)Karpathy's concept of LLMs as "people spirits"Superhuman abilities: perfect memory, instant processingCritical limitations: hallucinations, no long-term memoryThe "50 First Dates" problem - digital amnesiaJagged intelligence: superhuman at some tasks, terrible at othersExample: LLMs struggling with simple number comparisons (9.11 vs 9.9)Building Software 3.0 Applications (00:24:01)Four key features: context management, multi-LLM orchestration, application-specific GUIs, autonomy sliderThe cursor model as an exampleManaging complexity while making it simple for usersThe importance of the autonomy slider for user controlAI Agents and the Decade-Long Transition (00:27:42)"Agents are overrated" - not the year but the decade of agentsThe Iron Man suit analogy: augmentation vs replacementHuman-in-the-loop considerationsTesla Autopilot example: 10 years later, still not fully autonomousManaging expectations for the pace of changeVibe Coding Success Story (00:34:06)Real-world example from Engage conference presentationCIO builds prototype in 2 hours using LovableWeb-accessible syllabus database projectDramatic reduction in time and resources neededThe power of Software 3.0 for non-programmersInfrastructure Opportunities and Challenges (00:37:53)Three types of digital information consumers: humans, programs, AI agentsNeed for AI-accessible interfaces (LLM.txt files)Building infrastructure for agent consumptionMCP protocol for agent communicationThe massive rebuild opportunity for entrepreneursEducational Implications (00:39:12)Shift from information scarcity to abundanceKarpathy's approach: keeping student and teacher separate but working on same artifactNew skills needed: prompt engineering, context engineeringMoving from memorizing algorithms to understanding applicationDebugging AI reasoning vs debugging codeTraditional SaaS Transformation (00:47:19)The autonomy retrofit challengeDesigning UIs for both humans and agentsNeed for AI-accessible equivalents for every actionRisk of disruption from AI-first competitorsQuestions about human supervision and controlAction Items for Different Audiences (00:51:18)Developers: Learn all three paradigms, build partial autonomy, focus on human oversightEntrepreneurs: Identify migration opportunities, build infrastructure, design with autonomy sliderEveryone else: Start vibe coding, understand decade-long transition, develop human-AI collaboration skillsThe importance of starting now despite the long transition aheadClosing Thoughts and Call to Action (00:56:47)Karpathy's quote on the amazing opportunity aheadThe quest for autonomy and the 3.0 movementBeing part of a revolution in real-timeNeed for builders, thinkers, and creators in this new era - - - -Connect With Our Co-Hosts:Ardis Kadiuhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ardis/https://twitter.com/ardisDr. JC Bonillahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/https://twitter.com/jbonillxAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com. Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

This week's guest is Karan Vaidya, Co-Founder and CTO of Composio, a platform enabling AI agents to connect with hundreds of tools and take autonomous actions to streamline workflows. We dive into his journey building “Devin” for integrations, why the rise of AI is creating demand for thousands of application connectors, how 90% of Composio's use cases today are agent-driven, and the role early product virality played in their traction. Episode Chapters: 2:00 – Founding with a friend (of 13 years) 3:35 – Evolution of integrations 6:50 – Lightbulb moment 9:20 – Pivoting Composio 12:40 – Agentic workflows 14:30 – Why Composio? 16:47 – Winning developers 25:20 – Build vs. buy 26:20 – AI toolset 28:25 – Agentic internet 30:52 – Quick fire round As always, feel free to contact us at partnerpathpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to hear ideas for content, guests, and overall feedback.This episode is brought to you by Grata, the world's leading deal sourcing platform. Our AI-powered search, investment-grade data, and intuitive workflows give you the edge needed to find and win deals in your industry. Visit grata.com to schedule a demo today.Fresh out of Y Combinator's Summer batch, Overlap is an AI-driven app that uses LLMs to curate the best moments from podcast episodes. Imagine having a smart assistant who reads through every podcast transcript, finds the best parts or parts most relevant to your search, and strings them together to form a new curated stream of content - that is what Overlap does. Podcasts are an exponentially growing source of unique information. Make use of it! Check out Overlap 2.0 on the App Store today.

Episode OverviewIn this July 2025 episode of Marks on the Markets, we dive deep into the venture capital landscape with two battle-tested VCs who've weathered the storm from COVID boom to AI revolution. Key Themes ExploredThe "Quiet Freakout" PhenomenonWhy even well-funded startups are secretly terrified about the next 6-18 monthsHow AI has created a "boxing match during an earthquake" for entrepreneursThe unprecedented uncertainty facing venture founders in 2025The Great Liquidity CrisisWhy LPs haven't seen distributions in years and what it means for new fundingThe IPO market's slow reopening and what it signals for exitsHow the DPI (distributions to paid-in capital) drought is reshaping the industryAI's Seismic ImpactWhy this technological shift dwarfs previous internet revolutionsThe emergence of AI-native companies and what it means for traditional softwareWhy we're likely underestimating AI's transformative powerThe Hardware RenaissanceHow software commoditization is driving investment toward "hard tech"The rise of American dynamism and defense technology startupsWhy friction is becoming the new competitive moatFaith-Driven InnovationLearning from social media's mental health failuresWhy Christian entrepreneurs feel called to shape AI's developmentBiblical frameworks for understanding technology's role in societyStandout Quotes"Everybody is quietly freaking out. You might have money in the bank, you might have venture backers, and yet everybody's quietly freaking out because you just don't know what's going to happen in three months, six months, three years." - Jake Thomsen"We are on the precipice of what could be the biggest series of technological changes in human history... more radical than at any point in history." - John Coleman"I continue to believe we are much more likely to underestimate the impact of AI than we are to overestimate it." - Rob Go"We kind of missed the boat in social media... We can't miss the boat with AI. Believers have to step in." - Jake ThomsenDeep Dive SegmentsThe Venture Market Transformation (03:22-15:36) Jake Thomsen provides a masterclass overview of venture's roller coaster ride from pre-COVID normalcy through the 2021-22 bubble, the 2022 crash, banking crisis, and today's AI-driven uncertainty.Four Forces Reshaping Early-Stage Investing (15:36-25:00) Rob Go breaks down the industry's permanent structural changes: maturation and concentration, Y Combinator's dominance, mega-fund competition, and the AI supercycle's 20-30 year horizon.The Optimist vs. Realist Debate (25:00-35:00) John Coleman makes the bull case for venture while Rob and Jake wrestle with ground-level challenges, exploring the disconnect between macro optimism and micro struggles.Hardware's Moment (35:00-45:00) Why the pendulum is swinging from pure software plays to capital-intensive "hard tech" solutions, and whether this represents a fundamental shift or temporary trend.Faith and Technology (45:00-49:07) A powerful discussion on how Christian entrepreneurs are approaching AI development with lessons learned from social media's unintended consequences.Guest ProfilesJake Thomsen - Partner at Sovereign's Capital, focusing on faith-driven founders and early-stage ventures. Previously worked in venture capital and strategic consulting.Rob Go - Co-founder and Partner at NextView Ventures, a seed-stage VC firm. 15+ years in venture capital with investments spanning consumer, enterprise, and frontier tech.Key Takeaways for InvestorsThe Power Law is Real: Top quartile VCs still dramatically outperform public markets, but the gap between best and worst performers has widened to 2,000+ basis points.Timing Matters: We're in the infrastructure phase of the AI revolution—similar to early internet days where enabling technologies capture initial value before applications flourish.Defense Through Friction: As software becomes commoditized, companies with hardware, services, or regulatory moats may prove more defensible.Liquidity Patience Required: The venture asset class needs patient capital as exit timelines extend and public market windows remain selective.Values-Driven Advantage: Founders building with clear ethical frameworks may have competitive advantages in an AI-dominated future.Resources MentionedHallow (Catholic prayer app)"God Looks Like Jesus" by Greg BoydAll-In PodcastY CombinatorReindustrialized Conference (Detroit)Connect with Our GuestsJake Thomsen: Sovereign's CapitalRob Go: NextView Ventures

In this episode, we sit down with Nikhil Vadhavkar, co-founder and CEO of Raptor Maps, to uncover how the company is tackling the invisible crisis in clean energy: operational inefficiency across $250B+ worth of solar assets.Nikhil explains why the solar industry's problems aren't just about building more — they're about getting the existing infrastructure to perform. From labor shortages to rising insurance costs, from underperforming fields to unscalable maintenance methods, Raptor Maps is turning traditional solar operations on its head. Their secret? A software platform built on digital twins, computer vision, and robotics that lets field techs do more of what matters.You'll hear how Raptor Maps found product-market fit by replacing the most dangerous and manual tasks on solar farms with drone- and robot-driven workflows, and how that foundation has evolved into an AI-ready platform used across tens of gigawatts of global deployments. Nikhil shares the journey from MIT and NASA to Y Combinator and utility-scale solar, reflecting on what it means to build something technically excellent, deeply customer-embedded, and truly scalable.We cover:How climate-driven damage (hail, fire) and tariffs are reshaping solar economicsWhy investors are demanding deeper visibility into solar asset performanceWhat it takes to operate robots and AI in the middle of nowhereAnd how Raptor Maps built a customer-led culture — even as it scaled---Upgrade to paid today! It's $10/month or $100/year. You probably spent that much on random Amazon stuff last week. What's stopping you from upgrading to paid? Upgrade to Paid

Notion te regala 3 meses del plan Business + IA ilimitada

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome John Glasgow, the founder and CEO of Campfire. With backing from Y Combinator and Foundation Capital, Campfire is rethinking the general ledger using AI-powered workflows that streamline accounting and accelerate financial reporting. John shares his journey, his experience with traditional finance systems, and how Campfire is bringing AI to the forefront of finance transformation.John is the founder and CEO of Campfire, a cutting-edge AI-powered ERP platform that redefines how finance teams manage the general ledger. With a career that spans strategic roles in companies like Adobe, Magento Commerce, and Buildcon, John's expertise in finance and corporate development has helped shape his vision for the future of financial reporting. He shares insights on how his career led him to solve the pain points in the finance sector, particularly around outdated software and complex financial processes.Expect to Learn:How AI is transforming finance systems, especially in accounting and financial reporting.The challenges of ERP implementation and how Campfire is tackling them with AI-powered solutions.Insights on getting closer to a “day zero” close and speeding up financial closing cycles.The evolution of the general ledger and how modern ERPs are rethinking traditional finance tools.John offers practical insights and forward-thinking strategies for embracing AI in finance. If outdated systems and slow processes have been holding you back, this episode provides a refreshing look at how AI can drive efficiency and smarter decision-making in finance.Follow John:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnglasgow/Website - https://campfire.ai/Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance:Follow Glenn:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiiiFollow Paul: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguyFollow QFlow.AI:Website - https://bit.ly/4i1EkjgFuture Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai. Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.In Today's Episode:[00:23] - John's Background[01:34] - $35M Series A Announcement[02:46] - Career Background & Campfire[04:45] - Long-Term Vision & Career Decisions[07:22] - Accelerating Financial Close[12:05] - Modern Ledger vs. Legacy

Mike Mahlkow spricht mit Marc Klingen, Gründer von Langfuse, über den Weg von der ersten Idee zum ersten zahlenden Kunden. Marc teilt, wie Langfuse durch schnelles Prototyping und direktes User-Feedback innerhalb von sechs Wochen den ersten zahlenden Kunden gewann und warum der Y Combinator sie lehrte, noch schneller zu iterieren. Was du lernst: Wie du durch schnelles Prototyping in 24-48 Stunden erste User-Insights gewinnst Warum der Fokus auf ein spezifisches ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) entscheidend ist Die Bedeutung von echtem Nutzerfeedback vs. theoretischer Validierung ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY: https://zez.am/unicornbakery  Mehr zu Marc: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcklingen  Website: https://langfuse.com/  Mehr zu Co-Host Mike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemahlkow/  Website: https://fastgen.com/  Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach: https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/ 

*This episode was originally aired in November 2021*Hire world-class accountants and in The Philippines. Visit Outsource Direct to scale your operations with higher flexibility, maximum efficiency and much lower costs.Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.I'm thrilled to welcome Dan Hobbs this week, Co-Founder and CEO of Protex, a software company using artificial intelligence to track safety for industrial employees.Dan and his Co-Founder Ciarán are recent graduates of Y-Combinator, a start-up incubator based in San Francisco, boasting an enviable track record of finding the next big companies in tech.Other notable alumni include Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Stripe!In this conversation, we cover a host of topics, from Dan's experience applying to and going through the Y-Combinator programme, raising money from some of the world's most successful and best-known entrepreneurs, to Dan's first start-up, which he started at the tender age of 22, and sold a few years later in 2019!Find out more about Protex: https://www.protex.ai/CONNECT WITH CONOR:LinkedInDiscover EO Ireland—part of an international network designed specifically for entrepreneurs. EO Ireland connects business owners for networking, mentorship, and shared learning experiences. Take your business to the next level and join a community of like-minded leaders today at eoireland.org. Empower your entrepreneurial journey!Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Maor Shlomo is the founder of Base44, an AI-powered app builder that he bootstrapped to an over $80 million acquisition by Wix in just six months. As a solo founder (with severe ADHD), he hit $1 million ARR just three weeks after launch and grew the product to more than 400,000 users, all while navigating two wars in Israel and never raising a dollar of outside funding.What you'll learn:1. The growth playbook that took Base44 from three friends to 400,000 users without spending any money on marketing2. How he hasn't written a single line of front-end code in three months—and how to structure your code repository to make it easier for AI to write your code3. His AI productivity stack that allowed him to compete against heavily funded competitors4. Why being a solo founder in AI might be the ultimate advantage (and the wedding story that almost killed the business)5. The story of signing the $80M acquisition deal while war broke out with Iran6. How to identify when to sell vs. stay independent (and why Maor chose acquisition despite being highly profitable)7. The counterintuitive product decision that tripled activation by removing a “helpful” feature8. How building in public on LinkedIn drove more growth than any paid channel—Brought to you by:Sauce—Turn customer pain into product revenue: https://sauce.app/lennyDscout—The UX platform to capture insights at every stage: from ideation to production: https://www.dscout.com/Contentsquare—Create better digital experiences: https://contentsquare.com/lenny/—Transcript: ⁠https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-base44-bootstrapped-startup-success-story-maor-shlomo⁠—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/167384119/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Maor Shlomo:• X: https://x.com/ms_base44• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maor-shlomo-1088b4144/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Maor and Base44(08:16) The origin story: how Base44 came to be(14:55) Bootstrapping and solo founding: challenges and insights(22:52) Productivity hacks and tech stack for solo founders(27:23) How to get started using Base44(28:47) Thoughts on raising money(34:05) Distribution in the age of AI(36:09) Ambition and goals(40:05) Growth strategies: from first users to thousands(51:32) Building in public(57:42) The solo founder journey(01:00:23) Community support(01:03:23) Hackathons and partnerships(01:06:42) The importance of velocity in product development(01:08:20) Technical stack and infrastructure insights(01:15:24) Activation lessons(01:18:19) The acquisition journey with Wix(01:25:14) Final thoughts and advice for founders—Referenced:• Base44: https://base44.com/• Retool: https://retool.com/• Tzofim: https://www.israelscouts.org/• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/• RescueTime: https://www.rescuetime.com/• Cursor: https://www.cursor.com/• Wix: https://www.wix.com/• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-lovable-anton-osika• Inside Bolt: From near-death to ~$40m ARR in 5 months—one of the fastest-growing products in history | Eric Simons (founder and CEO of StackBlitz): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-bolt-eric-simons• Behind the product: Replit | Amjad Masad (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-product-replit-amjad-masad• Everyone's an engineer now: Inside v0's mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder and CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyones-an-engineer-now-guillermo-rauch• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com• Yoav Orlev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoav-orlev-4a044b72• WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/• Google: https://about.google/• MongoDB: https://www.mongodb.com/• Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com/• Render: Render.com• Claude 4: https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-4• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/app• Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Soham Parekh made headlines for juggling four full-time startup jobs at once — without telling anyone. Fraud? Maybe. Genius? Possibly. Turns out, his work was solid, his employers were Y Combinator darlings, and the internet couldn't decide whether to hate or love him. In this episode, we unpack Soham's viral saga, question whether “overemployment” is really that bad, and revisit another jaw-dropping story about a paralegal's double life, exposed during one unforgettable Zoom call.

Welcome back to Giant Ideas! Today we are joined by Trip Adler, the Co-founder of Scribd - a company he co-founded with Jared Friedman, now Partner at Y Combinator. Scribd is a digital document library that hosts over 195 million documents, with billions of views a year.Today we talk about Trip's next act: Created By Humans, where he is Co-Founder and CEO, on a huge mission to champion AI rights for authors. Giant proudly led the seed round of Created by Humans, and we invited Trip on to talk about this giant idea that affects so many people: how can creativity thrive in the AI era?In this episode, we talk about: what happens if we live in a world where only machines create art? Is AI the next IP frontier? We also talk about his early days pivoting at YC, why persistence matters, and the unusual way he earnt his first revenue…Building a purpose driven company? Read more about Giant Ventures at www.Giant.vc.Music credits: Bubble King written and produced by Cameron McLain and Stevan Cablayan aka Vector_XING. Please note: The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making any investment decisions.

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome John Glasgow, founder and CEO of Campfire, a modern AI-native ERP system designed for finance teams. The discussion centers on why traditional ERPs are no longer meeting the needs of growing businesses and how Campfire is offering a new solution built with automation and finance-first design. John shares insights from his career in finance and explains how his own challenges inspired the creation of Campfire.John is the founder and CEO of Campfire, an ERP platform developed for mid-sized and enterprise finance teams. With prior roles at Adobe and Invoice2Go, where he led strategic finance and corporate development, John has experienced firsthand the limitations of legacy ERP systems. Campfire, backed by Y Combinator and Foundation Capital, is rethinking the general ledger using AI to accelerate financial reporting, reduce manual work, and help finance professionals focus on strategic insights.In this episode, you will discover:Why companies are replacing legacy ERPs like NetSuite and what they look for in a modern solution.What a modern general ledger looks like, and how AI can support, not replace finance teams.Why finance leaders need systems that enable real-time visibility and decision-making.How strategic accounting is becoming a core part of modern finance.John shared his insightful journey from finance leader to founder, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in modernizing finance through technology. His experiences in building an AI-native ERP, tackling the challenges of traditional systems, and redefining the role of finance offer valuable lessons for professionals seeking to drive efficiency, accuracy, and strategic value in their organizations.Follow John:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnglasgow/Website - https://campfire.ai/Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance:Follow Glenn:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiiiFollow Paul:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguyFollow QFlow.AI:Website - https://bit.ly/4i1EkjgFuture Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai. Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.In Today's Episode:[04:36] - Career Journey & Inspiration[06:35] - From Finance to Founder[10:12] - Day-Zero Close & Real-Time Finance[14:58] - Modern vs. Legacy Ledgers[19:48] - The Case for a New ERP Tool[23:14] - Campfire's AI in Action[28:20] - Key Differences: FP&A vs. Accounting[31:17] - How to Humanize Finance[35:08] - Wrap-Up & Takeaways

Tailor, a San Francisco- and Tokyo-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, has raised $22 million in a Series A funding round. Investors include ANRI, JIC Venture Growth Investments (JIC VGI), New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Spiral Capital and Y Combinator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Skippy and Doogles are back in your mentals with a triple-header of investing greatness. First up, a stablecoin thought experiment gone dark—what if Circle succeeds too much? Then, Cloudflare's CEO drops jaw-dropping data on how AI is nuking the internet's original traffic model. Finally, we break down two blog posts on venture fund returns—including Y Combinator's staggering 6,000x win with Airbnb.Plus: Amazon's long shadow over local business and why Skippy might owe central banks an apology.Join the Skippy and Doogles fan club. You can also get more details about the show at skippydoogles.com, show notes on our Substack, and send comments or questions to skippydoogles@gmail.com.

David Placek is the founder of Lexicon Branding, a company that focuses exclusively on the development of brand names for competitive advantage. Lexicon is behind iconic names such as Sonos, Microsoft's Azure, Windsurf, Vercel, Impossible Foods, BlackBerry, Intel's Pentium, Apple's PowerBook, and Swiffer. Over 40 years, David's team has named nearly 4,000 brands and companies, employing over 250 linguists and pioneering naming innovation.What you'll learn:1. The three-step process that generated names like Windsurf and Vercel2. How a name can give you the edge that no marketing budget can buy3. Why you won't “know it when you see it”4. Why Microsoft called Azure “a dumb name” before it became their billion-dollar cloud platform5. Why polarizing opinions are the strongest signal that you've found the right name6. How every letter of the alphabet creates a specific psychological vibration7. The diamond framework: a 4-step process any founder can use to find their perfect name8. Why domain names don't matter anymore in the age of AI—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUsStripe—Helping companies of all sizes grow revenueOneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster—Where to find David Placek:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-placek-05a82/• Website: https://www.lexiconbranding.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to David and Lexicon Branding(04:44) The story of Sonos(09:27) The psychology of naming(11:33) The initial resistance to Microsoft's Azure(14:35) The importance of a great brand name(18:11) The three steps of naming: create, invent, implement(28:23) Qualities of great brand name creators(31:24) How long the naming process takes(32:12) The Windsurf case study(36:10) Naming in the AI era(39:37) When to change your name(43:10) The role of linguists(45:54) The power of letters in branding(48:15) The Vercel case study(50:12) The implementation phase(52:52) Client management and market success(55:16) The diamond exercise(01:04:23) Suspending judgment(01:07:31) Polarization and boldness(01:11:01) Domain names(01:12:48) Final thoughts and lightning round—Referenced:• PowerBook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook• Pentium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium• BlackBerry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry• Swiffer: https://www.swiffer.com/• Impossible Burger: https://impossiblefoods.com/• Vercel: https://vercel.com/• Windsurf: https://windsurf.com/• CapCut: https://www.capcut.com/• Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com/• John MacFarlane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-macfarlane-08a8aa20/• Harry Potter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_(film_series)• The Call of the Wild: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Call_of_the_Wild• Everyone's an engineer now: Inside v0's mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder and CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyones-an-engineer-now-guillermo-rauch• Sound symbolism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_symbolism• Anduril: https://www.anduril.com/• Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/• Inside Bolt: From near-death to ~$40m ARR in 5 months—one of the fastest-growing products in history | Eric Simons (founder and CEO of StackBlitz): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-bolt-eric-simons• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in four months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Mohan (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-untold-story-of-windsurf-varun-mohan• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/• Chevrolet Corvette: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette• Viagra: https://www.viagra.com/• In vino veritas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vino_veritas• Infoseek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infoseek• Andy Grove: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Grove• Churchill at War on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81609374• Yellowstone on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Yellowstone-Season-1/dp/B07D7FBB8Z• 1883 on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/1883-Season-1/dp/B0B8JTS8QW• 1923 on Paramount+: https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/1923/• Taylor Sheridan on X: https://x.com/taylorSheridan• Hardy fly rods: https://www.hardyfishing.com/collections/fly-rods• T.E. Lawrence quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11340-all-men-dream-but-not-equally-those-who-dream-by• Lawrence of Arabia: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/• DreamWorks: https://www.dreamworks.com/—Recommended books:• Thucydides' Melian Dialogue: Commentary, Text, and Vocabulary: https://www.amazon.com/Thucydides-Melian-Dialogue-Commentary-Vocabulary/dp/0692772367• Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life: https://www.amazon.com/Resilience-Hard-Won-Wisdom-Living-Better/dp/054432398X/• Churchill: Walking with Destiny: https://www.amazon.com/Churchill-Walking-Destiny-Andrew-Roberts/dp/1101980990—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Guest: Anita Koimur, Co-founder & COO of LiveFlow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitakoimur/ Episode Summary: Join us as we sit down with Anita Koimur, a seasoned entrepreneur and the brilliant mind behind LiveFlow. Anita shares her compelling journey from a successful career in Business Development to co-founding a groundbreaking company. We delve into her experiences, including her time at the prestigious Y Combinator, and explore the critical decisions founders face, such as relocating to be closer to their market. This episode offers invaluable insights into identifying and acquiring early customers, the dynamic evolution of a product, and the transformative power of AI in both blue-collar/service industries and the future of financial automation. Anita also sheds light on the challenges CFOs face with disparate financial documents, the complexities of M&A in the finance world, and where she sees LiveFlow positioned within the broader landscape of AI tools. Tune in for a deep dive into business growth, strategic product development, and the exciting future of financial automation. Key Discussion Points: Anita's Career Journey: Her background and the pivotal moments leading up to entrepreneurship. Transition to Founder: The inspiration behind starting a company and the skills carried over from her Business Development days. Y Combinator Experience: Key takeaways and the impact of going through the accelerator program. Geographic Imperative for Founders: The importance of location (e.g., UK to NYC) in relation to market proximity. Early Customer Acquisition: Strategies for getting first customers and building initial trust and credibility. Customer Profile Evolution: How LiveFlow identified and refined its ideal customer over time. Product Evolution: Pivotal moments and feedback that shaped LiveFlow's development since launch. AI in Blue-Collar & Service Industries: Anita's vision for AI's implementation in these sectors. CFO Challenges: Addressing the problems CFOs face with multiple financial documents from various companies. AI's Impact on Business Growth: How AI has shifted Anita's perspective on strategy and its role in future financial automation. M&A and Finance: The biggest issues in the finance world during M&A and how tools like LiveFlow can help. Future of Financial Automation: What excites Anita most and where she sees the industry heading in the next 5-10 years. LiveFlow's Future Trajectory: Whether LiveFlow is a standalone entity, part of a larger suite, or a potential consolidator. Connecting with Anita & LiveFlow: Best ways for listeners to learn more and explore the platform. Website https://www.liveflow.com/  Promo Code: SVP The views expressed on this podcast are for informational purposes only and not financial or legal advice. Consult with a professional for your specific situation. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Finalis Inc. or Finalis Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.”  

Mi sistema de Contenido en Notion

Haakon Brunell is the CEO and Co-founder of Carbon Crusher, a Norwegian company turning traditional road construction on its head. Carbon Crusher refurbishes existing roads using bio-based binders and on-site recycling to create carbon-negative, cost-effective, and more durable infrastructure. In this episode, Haakon shares how their "Crushing-as-a-Service" model and SkyRoads AI platform reduce emissions, increase road longevity, and drive down costs. He explains why roads are both a climate problem and a climate opportunity—and how Carbon Crusher plans to sequester a gigaton of CO₂ by 2035.MCJ is an investor in Carbon Crusher, having participated in the company's seed round back in 2022 when it emerged from Y Combinator. Guest hosting for the first time on this episode is MCJ Partner, Thai Nguyen. Enjoy the show! In this episode, we cover: [02:23] Launching Carbon Crusher out of Y Combinator[05:22] An overview of Carbon Crusher[06:15] Roads as a climate problem and carbon sink opportunity[08:21] Emissions from traditional road refurbishment[09:41] Carbon Crusher's 3 pillars: crushing, bio-binders, and AI platform[12:52] Why roads are now stronger, cheaper, and greener[14:14] Customer mindset in a conservative industry[17:49] Origin story from winter-damaged roads in Norway[21:12] Performance in both cold and hot weather climates[22:53] Customers include cities, counties, and private road owners[26:12] SkyRoads AI helps digitize and plan road maintenance[28:45] Challenges: regulation and conservative decision-making[30:53] Vision: sequestering a gigaton of CO₂ by 2035Episode recorded on May 13, 2025 (Published on June 23, 2025) Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Rendez-vous le 3 Juillet à 18h30 à Paris 17 pour le GDI-Live #10: Comment faire une croissance à deux chiffres avec ses clients existants ?Inscriptions: https://live.gdiy.fr/L'une des femmes les plus impressionnantes de la tech en France. Elle a séduit Mistral, Groq.ai et Laravel… sans aucun commercial.Anh-Tho vient du monde “corporate” : Orange, Millicom, McKinsey. Mais c'est chez Qonto qu'elle bascule dans l'arène startup.Elle en devient la première employée aux côtés d'Alexandre Prot, quand personne ne pariait vraiment sur eux.En 2021, elle décide de se lancer. Son idée ? Pas la plus sexy sur le papier : la facturation complexe. Un sujet que tout le monde fuit… sauf elle.Grâce à ses premières expériences, Anh-Tho découvre un besoin universel, crucial pour toutes les entreprises, mais ignoré : comment gérer des modèles de pricing complexes quand les offres varient selon l'usage, surtout avec l'explosion de l'IA.Personne n'en veut, elle s'y attaque.Elle est convaincue : la facturation, c'est la pierre angulaire de toute entreprise, “la donnée la plus pure”.Les SaaS traditionnels ne suivent plus, Anh-Tho tient une pépite.Et les investisseurs l'ont bien compris. Lago rejoint Y Combinator puis lève 22 millions de dollars en série A avec seulement 9 collaborateurs.Anh-Tho nous dévoile sa méthode assez inhabituelle pour attirer les clients via son projet open source pour ne recourir à aucun commercial. Comment convaincre talents de rejoindre l'aventure. Savoir tirer parti de la vague de l'IA et survivre à la mort du SEO.Un épisode tranchant et sans langue de bois pour celles et ceux qui veulent se lancer là où personne n'ose aller.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : “Le secret” en langage startup, personne ne s'en occupe mais tout le monde en a besoin00:18:52 : Les secteurs clefs pour le calcul dynamique du prix00:25:38 : De Kinshasa pour Millicom aux US avec Y Combinator00:37:19 : La stratégie de Lago : pas de sales mais tout sur l'open source et la documentation00:47:41 : L'IA va enterrer le SEO01:02:45 : La facturation comme pierre angulaire d'une entreprise : rendre le billing sexy01:14:07 : Les plus gros défis de Lago et les femmes dans la tech01:23:52 : La nouvelle vague des angel investors en France01:34:47 : Les pire inconvénients des US01:45:20 : La fuite, puis “le retour des cerveaux”01:54:35 : Comment utiliser l'IA pour gagner du temps01:58:30 : Les secrets de la réussite de Qonto02:04:32 : Pourquoi investir dans un coach et dans l'infodivertissementLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #456 - Alexandre Prot - Qonto - Bousculer l'écosystème bancaire et s'imposer en référence européenne#106 Jean de la Rochebrochard - Kima Ventures- Human machine#429 - Nicolas Dessaigne - Y Combinator - Le berceau des futurs géants de la tech#473 - VO - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « We're just getting started »#467 - Christel Heydemann - Orange - Garder le cap pour réussir dans un marché en rupture permanente#183 - Sacha Poignonnec - Jumia - Là où il y a une volonté, il y a un chemin#418 - Clément Delangue - Hugging Face - 4,5 milliards de valo avec un produit gratuit à 99%#420 - Stanislas Niox-Chateau - Doctolib : derrière la plus grosse marque de la French tech#380 - Paul Lê -La Belle Vie - Le Son Gokû de la FoodTech qui rachète Frichti@#117 Riadh Alimi - FinFrog - Réussir l'impossible : être recommandé par les clients que tu refuses#431 - Sean Rad - Tinder - How the swipe fever took over the world#297 - Adrien Labastire - Kessel - Faire 7 années d'études supérieures, puis percer sur YouTubeNous avons parlé de :LagoQontoMistralMillicomMailjetMCP : model context protocolLaravelFinFrogOVNI CapitalTogether AIDocumentaire USCursorAcquiredThe InformationSubstackLes recommandations de lecture :La vie heureuseVous pouvez contacter Anh-Tho sur Linkedin.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this Company episode of The Synopsis we draw on our 108-page research report on Airbnb; the company that pioneered the sharing economy and become a Silicon Valley poster child for what a succesful start-up can become.  Having started as a means to pay rent, Airbnb quickly turned into one of the world's largest accommodations provider. In a matter of just a decade, Airbnb was able to host more guests than Hilton could in 100 years. However, despite their large impact in how tens of millions of people traveled and millions more monetized  their unused properties, they struggled for years to turn a profit. That is until founder Brian Chesky decided to do something drastic and reshape the business—in the midst of Covid no less. In the matter of just a few years he took the business from losing $4bn a year to generating $3bn annually in free cash flow. With Airbnb having a firm grasp on the Alternative Accommodations segment, they are preparing to enter into new businesses and new verticals. Tune in for all of this and more!  Learn more about our 108-page report here.  For full access to all of our in-depth research reports, become a Speedwell Member here.  If you need help getting Speedwell Research to become an approved research vendor, so you can expense your subscription, please email info@speedwellresearch.com  *~*~*~* Mentioned Speedwell Memos:  Minimum Viable Products versus Maximum Possible Products Introducing the Piton Network Concept -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Show Notes (0:00) — Airbnb Intro Section 1: Business History (5:33) — From RISD to SF (19:05) — Cereal Boxes, Y Combinator (34:12) — Early Airbnb Experience, Competitors, International (43:10) — First Disaster (47:21) — Toshi Hotels, Regulation  (52:50) — Covid, Pulling the IPO (1:01:50) — IPO *~*~* Section 2: Industry and TAM (1:05:27) — Business, How do they Make Money? (1:18:13) — Experiences (1:22:31) — Margins and Cost Structure (1:25:26) — TAM Discussion (1:39:21) — Categories of Competition *~*~* Section 3: Competitors and Competitive Differentiation (1:42:16) — Booking Competition (1:52:21) — Merchant vs Agent Business Model, OTAs (2:02:17) — Booking's Alternative Accommodation Push, Booking vs Airbnb (2:12:25) — Expedia, VRBO (2:25:47) — Other Competitors (2:30:47) — Comparing all Competitors, Network Effects, Differentiation (2:45:26) — Competitive Advantages (2:54:28) — Airbnb Negatives *~*~* Section 4: Other Bets, Capital Allocation, Valuation (2:58:33) — New Services, Super App (3:13:25) — ROIC and Free Cash Flow (3:20:04) — Capital Allocation, Stock Awards (3:27:44) — Growth Drivers (3:35:42) — Valuation (3:37:11) — Risks and Conclusion -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Become a Speedwell Member here to gain access to *all* of our in-depth research reports and more!   Sign up for Speedwell's free newsletter and weekly memos here *-*-*- Follow Us: Twitter: @Speedwell_LLC Threads: @speedwell_research Email us at info@speedwellresearch.com for any questions, comments, or feedback. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Disclaimer Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discussed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in companies discussed. At the time of recording contributors had a position in Airbnb. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on also may have  a position in Airbnb. This may change without notice. Please see our full disclaimers here:  https://speedwellresearch.com/disclaimer/

For the longest time, getting accepted to Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley startup accelerator was like getting a golden ticket for your startup. It was suddenly on the map not just in India but in Silicon Valley, too. For Indian founders who made it, the story of success began with a journey west. Set up in Delaware, impress YC, and get some of that Silicon Valley shine. But what happens when that dream starts looking more like a detour than a destination?Earlier this week, the online market place Meesho, once a poster child from the YC pipeline, announced it will pay nearly 300 million $ million in taxes just to bring its business back to India. Why? Because that's where the real opportunity is now. With an IPO in the works, Meesho is doing what many Indian startups are now considering: the reverse flip. And Meesho isnt the only one. Fintech unicorn Razorpay, another Y combinator baby, wants an Indian IPO in the next two years. Its expected to pay as much as $150 million to redomicile its business to India. But if the endgame is an Indian IPO, why take the expensive U.S. route in the first place? Is the YC badge still worth it? Tune in. Want to attend The Ken's next event on health, fitness and wellness? Buy tickets here. Here's your chance to help us shape the conversation: https://theken.typeform.com/to/bZhqWl2g

This week's guest is Taranjeet Singh, Founder and CEO of Mem0, a company building the self-improving memory layer for AI agents and LLMs.The conversation covers his path to founding Mem0, from applying to YC 7x and learning to "think bigger," to identifying a core pain point after launching a viral app in India. Taranjeet breaks down why memory is essential for agents, how Mem0 works across any LLM, and why solving one core problem deeply is a competitive advantage.He also discusses how to stay lean and ship fast by hiring high-agency contributors.Episode Chapters:Building startups since 2012 - 1:56Finding PMF in India - 3:59X growth hacks - 7:25Applying to YC - 12:25Why memory? - 15:05Primary use case - 17:21Relevant verticals for memory - 21:57Partnerships - 25:41Lean team & shipping fast - 27:44Future of agent infra - 32:28Quick fire round - 34:07As always, feel free to contact us at partnerpathpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to hear ideas for content, guests, and overall feedback.This episode is brought to you by Grata, the world's leading deal sourcing platform. Our AI-powered search, investment-grade data, and intuitive workflows give you the edge needed to find and win deals in your industry. Visit grata.com to schedule a demo today.Fresh out of Y Combinator's Summer batch, Overlap is an AI-driven app that uses LLMs to curate the best moments from podcast episodes. Imagine having a smart assistant who reads through every podcast transcript, finds the best parts or parts most relevant to your search, and strings them together to form a new curated stream of content - that is what Overlap does. Podcasts are an exponentially growing source of unique information. Make use of it! Check out Overlap 2.0 on the App Store today.

Jess Mah has packed more into 35 years than most do in a lifetime:9-figure serial founder & Y Combinator alumna personally mentored by Paul GrahamLaunched fintech rocket ship inDinero while still a CS student at UC Berkeley (after skipping two grades in high school)Commercial pilot who captains her own jetCurator of Outcove Valley, an invite-only summit for world-class leadersDJ & relentless community builderIn this raw Permission to Shine conversation, Jess pulls back the curtain on success and shares:The hidden costs of big money, big fame, and an inbox that never sleepsWhy you probably wouldn't trade lives with most ultra-wealthy people if you knew the whole storyLosing her partner, a decorated vet, to PTSD-related suicide, and how grief reframed her definition of “winning”Rituals that keep her groundedFounder tactics: hiring A-players, raising cash when markets freeze, and the underrated superpower of genuine relationshipsBig takeaway: Gratitude for the life you already have can be more liberating than any net-worth milestone.

What if you could get into Y Combinator without a full product? In this episode, Varsha Ramesh Walsh, Founder of Offstream (useoffstream.com), shares exactly how she did just that — with a little traction, screenshots, and relentless customer focus. She breaks down the precise steps she took to validate her idea, iterate fast, and win early customers, even before building a functional platform. Whether you're applying to YC or searching for product-market fit, this conversation is packed with tactical advice — from how to pitch without a product to embedding customer feedback into your culture. Perfect for early-stage founders navigating the messy zero-to-one phase.

"Si tu veux réussir en entrepreneuriat, c'est l'obsession client, c'est le service client."Je reçois Florian Boret - serial entrepreneur et fondateur d'Achille, sa troisième startup.On parle de son premier échec avec WeHome à la création de Wedoogift où il a appliqué religieusement les principes de Paul Graham et Y Combinator, et comment il en est venu à monter Achille.Achille c'est une startup qui mêle humain et IA pour gérer votre support client. Parce que selon Florian, si t'as un bon support client, t'es au max !Florian c'était mon boss chez Wedoogift (sa 2e startup, mon 2e stage lol) - et là-bas on était obligé de faire un peu de SAV justement.Il m'explique justement d'où lui vient ce customer obsession" à la française, et comment il a fait passer le NPS de Wedoogift de négatif à +40 en 3 ans.On parle aussi de sa stratégie "Do things that don't scale", de l'approche tech-enabled vs full IA, de ses "super agents" humains qui augmentent l'IA plutôt que d'être remplacés par elle - et évidemment, d'entrepreneuriat.Bonne écoute !

DEMAIN je reçois Florian Boret - serial entrepreneur et fondateur d'Achille, sa troisième startup.On parle de son premier échec avec WeHome à la création de Wedoogift où il a appliqué religieusement les principes de Paul Graham et Y Combinator, et comment il en est venu à monter Achille.Achille c'est une startup qui mêle humain et IA pour gérer votre support client. Parce que selon Florian, si t'as un bon support client, t'es au max !Florian c'était mon boss chez Wedoogift (sa 2e startup, mon 2e stage lol) - et là-bas on était obligé de faire un peu de SAV justement.Il m'explique justement d'où lui vient ce customer obsession" à la française, et comment il a fait passer le NPS de Wedoogift de négatif à +40 en 3 ans.On parle aussi de sa stratégie "Do things that don't scale", de l'approche tech-enabled vs full IA, de ses "super agents" humains qui augmentent l'IA plutôt que d'être remplacés par elle - et évidemment, d'entrepreneuriat.Bonne écoute !

Wes Spencer, co-founder of Empath, a training and education platform for managed service providers (MSPs), discusses a unique funding model that diverges from traditional venture capital. Instead of seeking investment from typical VCs, Empath successfully raised $2 million from industry insiders, primarily MSPs themselves. This approach fosters alignment and advocacy among investors, who are also customers, but it raises important questions about scalability and governance. The conversation delves into the implications of having investors who are directly involved in the product's development and direction.The investment structure utilized by Empath is based on Y Combinator's SAFE notes, which allow for a straightforward and fair investment process without changing control of the company. Spencer explains the importance of ensuring that investors are qualified, adhering to SEC regulations to protect non-professional investors. This structure not only simplifies the investment process but also limits the amount each investor can contribute, ensuring a diverse group of stakeholders who are genuinely invested in the company's mission.Spencer highlights the demographics of their investors, primarily consisting of CEOs from established MSPs with significant revenue. These investors are motivated by a desire to influence the vendor ecosystem positively and to have a say in the direction of the platform they use. The governance model established by Empath ensures that while these investors have a voice, they do not have control over the company's day-to-day operations, allowing for a balance between investor input and the leadership team's vision.As Empath continues to grow, Spencer acknowledges the potential need for future funding rounds, including the possibility of engaging with venture capitalists. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining transparency with investors and being responsible stewards of their contributions. The conversation concludes with Spencer expressing confidence in the company's trajectory, aiming for sustainable growth while remaining committed to the community-driven approach that defines Empath. All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech

A Y Combinator alum that's rethinking recycling, a couple of late breaking funding rounds, and some big Oregon startup events happening the next two Fridays. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Portland startup community fireside chats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL-PkVS-40o- Portland startup community gathering https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307183761/- Oregon Startup Conference https://oregonstartupconference.com/- Invent Oregon 2025 https://www.inventoregon.org/- Watch party: 2025 halfway https://lu.ma/j3zim4syPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:17 Rapta and Conveyer raise capital01:51 Birch Biosciences rethinking recycling05:00 Portland startup community chats - Pride edition08:05 Oregon Startup Conference10:20 Invent Oregon 202511:50 Watch party https://www.youtube.com/live/Df6K0Csx6TsFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457- The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

The US and China trade deal looks more like a trade dud… because of China's Infinity Stones.When Heinz ketchup changes its bottle, sales pop… so it launched maple syrup ketchup jugs.Summer House star Paige DeSorbo launched a startup… because BravoTV is the new Y-Combinator.Plus, the new weekend trend for techies is Darkness Retreats… 3 days, zero light.$KHC $SPY $CMCSAWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.TBOY Live Show Tickets to Chicago on sale NOW: https://www.axs.com/events/949346/the-best-one-yet-podcast-ticketsAbout Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today's top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, TBOY Lite is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ Our 2nd show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's show: Jason and Alex dive into why Y Combinator startups are raising at sky-high valuations with relatively low ARR—what does that mean for investors and founders? VC funds are slowing down and returning to pre-ZIRP pacing, signaling a reset in the market. Plus, in this week's Office Hours, Sean Steigerwald, founder of CustomerIQ, demos his AI sales agent that lives in your inbox, drafting follow-ups using CRM context. It's a deep look at early-stage investing, startup efficiency, and where AI is headed in enterprise.Timestamps:(0:00) Episode Teaser(2:09) Jason's Singapore trip recap and SoCal update(9:51) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(11:40) New rumblings from Mistral; is the French AI startup catching a tail wind?(19:40) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠https://fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.(26:23) VC investing pace is slowing... what does this mean for founders(29:42) INBOUND - Use code TWIST10 for 10% o your General Admission ticket at https://www.inbound.com/register (Valid thru 7/31)(33:33) Founders' guide to raising capital(36:31) Gen AI companies are growing FAST but are there concerns about churn?(42:46) Is YC still worth it? Debating paper gains vs. DPI as metrics.(52:18) Office Hours with Sean Steigerald from Customer IQ: managing active users and more.Subscribe 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/v19fcpLinks from episode:Customer IQ: https://www.getcustomeriq.com/Follow 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:(9:51) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(19:40) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠https://fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.(29:42) INBOUND - Use code TWIST10 for 10% o your General Admission ticket at https://www.inbound.com/register (Valid thru 7/31)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

Geoff Ralston, founder of SAIF (Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund), and former President of Y Combinator, shares his vision for building a safer AI future. Geoff discusses the risks and promise of AI as a force beyond traditional tools, posing AI as a set of entities that will reshape the way we work, live, and relate to each other. He talks about biosafety, interpretability, and misinformation as key focus areas for innovation. Geoff also shares advice for founders navigating this fast-evolving landscape and reflects on how thoughtful investment today can shape the future of humanity.In this episode, you'll learn:[02:05] Why Geoff believes AI is not ‘just' a tool but a cognitive force reshaping humanity[06:29] The subtle but profound difference between tools and intelligent agents[13:56] Who wins and who loses in an AI-driven future, and what roles must investors play?[20:36] Can we still design a utopian future with AI?[24:06] The types of founders Geoff wants to back through SAIF[26:30] Why mission-aligned safety startups still need product-market fit[28:46] What happens when AI does everything—and what humans will still choose to doThe nonprofit organization Geoff is passionate about: AI Venture LabAbout Geoff RalstonGeoff Ralston is the founder of SAIF (Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund) and former President of Y Combinator. A longtime startup investor, entrepreneur, and thought leader, Geoff previously founded Imagine K12, an edtech accelerator later merged with YC. With decades of experience launching and scaling category-defining startups, Geoff now focuses on funding companies that ensure AI becomes a force for good, addressing challenges around safety, security, and the future of human work.About SAIFSAIF (Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund) is a venture capital firm dedicated to building a safer future with AI. Founded by Geoff Ralston, SAIF invests in startups focused on AI safety, biosafety, interpretability, and information integrity. The firm supports mission-driven founders creating scalable solutions to counteract risks and ensure that AI technologies empower rather than endanger society.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Imagine saving as much as 75 days of work within a six-month period, all through intelligent automation.Building on last week's discussion about the critical shift from passive metrics to active productivity, host Ben Lloyd Pearson and LinearB co-founder Dan Lines now look forward to realities like this: 19% cycle time reduction and reclaiming significant engineering time. They move beyond common narratives surrounding AI to present actionable success stories and strategic approaches for engineering leaders seeking tangible results from their AI initiatives. This concluding episode tackles how to safely and effectively adopt AI across your software development lifecycle. Dan explains the necessity of programmatic rules and control, detailing how LinearB's gitStream technology empowers teams to define precisely when, where, and for whom AI operates. This ranges from AI-assisted code reviews with human oversight for critical services, to enabling senior developers to make judgment calls, and even automating merges for low-risk changes. Ben and Dan also explore the exciting future of agentic AI workflows, where AI agents could manage tasks from design and Jira story creation to coding and deployment, making developer control even more critical. Check out:The DevEx guide to AI-driven software developmentSurvey: Discover Your AI Collaboration StyleFollow the hosts:Follow BenFollow AndrewReferenced in today's show:The Pentagon launched a military-grade Y Combinator, signaling that defense tech is officially cool on college campusesJapan Post launches 'digital address' systemReddit sues Anthropic for scrapingMy AI Skeptic Friends Are All NutsSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

In this episode of Path to Market, Seedcamp's Natasha Lytton and Pipeline Ventures' Micah Smurthwaite are joined by Gia Scinto, Partner at The Cole Group and one of the most seasoned go-to-market talent experts in tech. Gia has helped build out executive teams at category-defining startups like Stripe, Airbnb, Datadog, Canva, and Confluent — and previously led talent at Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz.Gia shares hard-earned lessons from years of recruiting top-tier GTM leaders and partnering directly with founders at every stage, from pre-seed to IPO. In this conversation, she breaks down how to hire your first sales leader, how to evaluate candidates for stage fit and values alignment, and how to avoid common hiring pitfalls that can cost startups months of momentum.From sales methodology and hiring frameworks to founder mindset and onboarding tactics, this episode is packed with tactical insights for founders, operators, and investors alike.Here's what's covered:02:34 Building the First GTM Talent Function in VC06:25 From a16z to YC: Supporting Founders Across Stages09:42 First Sales Hire vs. Later-Stage Leadership13:38 The Anatomy of a Great Recruiting Process22:26 Best Interview Questions for Sales Roles29:45 How to Pitch Senior Candidates at Early Stage33:39 What GTM Leaders Want to Hear44:35 Why Sales Hires Fail — and How to Avoid It47:36 Systems, Team Design & Ops from 0 to $10M51:42 Advice for GTM Candidates: How to Pick Your Next Role

The future of AI needs a new internet. Coinbase is laying the foundation. In this episode of The Index, host Alex Kehaya talks with Nemil Dalal, Head of Coinbase's Developer Program, about how Coinbase is building crypto-native infrastructure to power the next generation of applications, starting with autonomous AI agents.Nemil shares his background in crypto, from meeting Brian Armstrong at Y Combinator to helping scale USDC from $10 million to $1 billion in market cap. Today, he's focused on making blockchain development more accessible by reducing friction around payments, APIs, and onboarding.A key part of that effort is X402—Coinbase's implementation of the long-dormant HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code. X402 allows AI agents and applications to autonomously pay for API access using cryptocurrency, without the need for API keys, credit cards, or manual account setup.We break down how X402 works under the hood:API requests return a 402 response when payment is requiredAgents can immediately respond with a signed crypto transaction to unlock accessJust one line of JavaScript is needed to enable itThis simple standard opens the door to a wide range of use cases—from AI agents accessing paid services to developers integrating crypto-powered paywalls with minimal overhead.If you're building in Web3, working with AI, or developing APIs, this episode offers a practical look at how Coinbase is creating tools that make decentralized development more seamless and scalable.

This week, we're chatting with Jonathan Baer, Co-Founder and CEO of Overlap. Overlap is building an AI-native video editing platform that helps podcasters and media teams turn long-form content into clips for social media. The product is designed to scale distribution with minimal manual input, making agents feel more like collaborators than tools.Jonathan shares how Overlap is harnessing video understanding models and advanced reasoning to drive autonomy in editing. We explore what makes video such a challenging medium for AI, why the best outbound strategies still rely on human nuance, and how Overlap is positioning itself as the creative assistant for the next generation of content teams.Episode Chapters:Post YC updates - 2:18What podcasters want - 6:14Where to post clips - 8:50GTM strategy - 11:03Switching between LLMs - 13:19Customer requests - 16:37Pricing - 19:40How does Overlap land customers - 23:15YC impact - 26:25Future of Overlap - 29:10Quick fire round - 31:57As always, feel free to contact us at partnerpathpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to hear ideas for content, guests, and overall feedback.This episode is brought to you by Grata, the world's leading deal sourcing platform. Our AI-powered search, investment-grade data, and intuitive workflows give you the edge needed to find and win deals in your industry. Visit grata.com to schedule a demo today.Fresh out of Y Combinator's Summer batch, Overlap is an AI-driven app that uses LLMs to curate the best moments from podcast episodes. Imagine having a smart assistant who reads through every podcast transcript, finds the best parts or parts most relevant to your search, and strings them together to form a new curated stream of content - that is what Overlap does. Podcasts are an exponentially growing source of unique information. Make use of it! Check out Overlap 2.0 on the App Store today.

As AI rapidly transforms industries across the board, game advertising — with its unique blend of creativity, large-scale data, and constantly shifting user behavior — is also evolving. Yet despite its potential, AI remains underutilized in this space. Why hasn't this intersection of technology and marketing been fully explored? Could it be the overlooked goldmine of the digital age?In this week's episode 52 of the Vietnam Innovators (English) podcast, let's sit down with Robert Huynh, Co-Founder and CEO of Reforged Labs — a startup backed by Y Combinator. Robert previously held key roles at X (Google's Moonshot Factory) and Microsoft, where he spent nearly a decade developing advanced AI technologies for autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, and next-generation wearables. After leaving Harvard Business School to launch his own venture, he's now pioneering the world's first AI-driven platform for ad performance analysis.---Listen to this episode on YoutubeAnd explore many amazing articles about the pioneers at: https://vietcetera.com/vn/bo-suu-tap/vietnam-innovator---Feel free to leave any questions or invitations for business cooperation at hello@vietnaminnovators.com

Retrouvez l'épisode en version française ici : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/brian-chesky-vf/Airbnb is bigger than any hotel chains around the world.80+ billion turnover in 2024—more than 2.5 billion stays since the beginning.The figures are mindblowing, it's probably the fastest growing tech platform in the tourism industry, it has changed lives all around the world, especially in France.What began as a scrappy side gig has become so much more than a company: it's a whole new way to explore the world.And yet, back in 2007, Brian Chesky's “grand vision” was born simply because he couldn't cover his San Francisco rent.The story is now legendary: a sold-out design conference, travelers crammed into town, and a friend's inflatable mattress sparking a lightbulb moment—to offer a cheaper night than any hotel. AirBed & Breakfast was born.Over the next decade and a half, those humble airbeds turned into spare bedrooms, then entire homes—until the small startup backed by Y Combinator became a global phenomenon.Today, the company that flipped lodging on its head isn't stopping at homes: with “from couch to castle” as its rallying cry, Airbnb is pivoting into services and experiences, on its way to becoming the ultimate all-in-one travel “super app.”In this unmissable episode, Brian Chesky pulls back the curtain on two decades of explosive growth—while never losing sight of his “founder mode.”You'll hear:Brian's top hacks for turning a profit on AirbnbHow Airbnb's strategic pivot layers in everything from private chefs to hair stylistsBuilding a platform people will use in unexpected waysWhy AI will upend the way we interact with every appThe two bold bets that catapulted Airbnb to global dominationWhether you're curious about the past, excited for the future of travel tech, or just want to pick the brain of a true Silicon Valley OG, this episode of GDIY is a can't-miss.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : From the original “airbeds” to the billion dollar company00:11:31 : The best tips to earn a fortune as a host on Airbnb00:19:38 : The largest demographic spectrum : from couch to castles00:28:26 : How to create a platform that enables creativity and the new “experience” feature00:43:04 : $80 billions transactions... in 2024 only00:49:49 : The right way to use Airbnb as a guest and as a host01:09:11 : The secret to maintain core values in your company01:21:08 : How to stay close to co-founders and employees01:28:41 : What will be the impact of AI on our professional and personal lives01:37:38 : The two bets/truths that made Airbnb so successfulWe referred to previous GDIY episodes : #429 - Nicolas Dessaigne - Y Combinator - Le berceau des futurs géants de la tech#461 - Sébastien Bazin - PDG du groupe Accor - Diriger un groupe coté en bourse sans ordinateur#420 - Stanislas Niox-Chateau - Doctolib : derrière la plus grosse marque de la French tech#452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - “We are more Homo technicus than Homo sapiens”A few recent episodes in English : #452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - “We are more Homo technicus than Homo sapiens”#437 - James Dyson - Dyson - “Failure is more exciting than success”#431 - Sean Rad - Tinder - How the swipe fever took over the worldWe spoke about :AirbnbLa MartingaleLa Martingale #209 - Le guide ultime pour louer sur Airbnb : les 15 meilleurs conseils d'un insiderBelinda Johnson (American lawyer, Chief Operating Officer at Airbnb)OCUSMark Cavendish (cyclist)Founder Mode (Paul Graham)Reading Recommendations :Walt Disney (Neal Gabler)Magellan (Stefan Zweig)You can contact Brian on Linkedin and Instagram.Interested in sponsoring Generation Do It Yourself or proposing a partnership ? Contact my label Orso Media through this form.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Check out the episode in its original version here : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/brian-chesky-vo/Airbnb est plus gros que n'importe quel groupe hôtelier dans le monde.80 milliards de dollars de transactions l'année dernière — plus de 2,5 milliards de séjours depuis sa création.Les chiffres sont époustouflants. C'est probablement la plateforme tech qui connaît la croissance la plus rapide dans le tourisme. Elle a changé des vies partout dans le monde, notamment en France.Ce qui a commencé comme une petite activité bonus est devenu bien plus qu'une simple entreprise : c'est une toute nouvelle façon d'explorer le monde.Pourtant en 2007, quand Brian Chesky imagine le concept c'est avant tout parce qu'il peine à payer le loyer de son appartement de San Francisco.L'histoire est aujourd'hui bien connue : une conférence remplissant la ville, des participants venus du monde entier, et le matelas gonflable d'un ami ont donné l'idée du siècle, proposer une nuit moins chère que dans n'importe quel hôtel.La rencontre entre l'offre et la demande est parfaite : AirBed & Breakfast naît.Au fur et à mesure ces “Air Bed” sont remplacés par des chambres puis des maisons entières et en 15 ans la petite start-up passée par Y-Combinator devient un succès mondial.La plateforme qui a changé pour toujours le monde de l'hébergement annonce un pivot vers des services et expériences, pour faire d'Airbnb une “super app” aux possibilités infinies.Dans cet épisode exceptionnel Brian nous raconte tous ses secrets pour créer un géant tout en restant fidèle au “founder mode”, son essence.Ses meilleurs conseils pour gagner de l'argent sur AirbnbLe virement stratégique d'Airbnb et les nouvelles fonctionnalités qui arrivent (des chefs cuisiniers aux coiffeurs)Construire une plateforme que les gens utiliseront de manière inattendueComment l'IA va changer le monde des appsLes deux paris de Brian qui ont fait d'Airbnb un succès planétaireLe passé, le présent et le futur du monde de l'hébergement, du marché du tourisme et des applications : un épisode must de GDIY pour comprendre le monde vu par un des mastodontes de la Silicon Valley.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Du premier matelas gonflable à la licorne00:11:31 : Les meilleures astuces pour faire fortune en tant qu'hôte sur Airbnb00:19:38 : Le plus grand spectre d'hébergement : du canapé au château00:28:26 : Comment créer une plateforme qui favorise la créativité et la nouvelle fonction « expérience » ?00:43:04 : 80 milliards de dollars de transactions... juste en 202400:49:49 : La bonne façon d'utiliser Airbnb en tant qu'hôte et en tant qu'invité01:09:11 : Le secret pour maintenir des valeurs fortes dans une entreprise01:21:08 : Comment rester proche des cofondateurs et des employés ?01:28:41 : L'impact de l'IA sur les apps01:37:38 : Les deux paris/vérités qui ont fait le succès d'AirbnbLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #429 - Nicolas Dessaigne - Y Combinator - Le berceau des futurs géants de la tech#461 - Sébastien Bazin - PDG du groupe Accor - Diriger un groupe coté en bourse sans ordinateur#420 - Stanislas Niox-Chateau - Doctolib : derrière la plus grosse marque de la French tech#452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - “We are more Homo technicus than Homo sapiens”Nous avons parlé de :AirbnbLa MartingaleLa Martingale #209 - Le guide ultime pour louer sur Airbnb : les 15 meilleurs conseils d'un insiderBelinda Johnson (avocate américaine, directrice des opérations d'Airbnb)OCUSMark Cavendish (cycliste)Founder Mode (Paul Graham)Les recommandations de lecture :Walt Disney (Neal Gabler)Magellan (Stefan Zweig)Vous pouvez contacter Brian sur Linkedin et sur Instagram.Nous tenons à remercier tout particulièrement Stan, Alex et l'ensemble des équipes d'ElevenLabs , qui ont assuré le doublage de cet épisode dans un temps record. Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ? Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Alexander Harmsen is a serial tech entrepreneur with a passion for AI, finance, and autonomy. He is the founder of PortfolioPilot.com, an AI-powered financial adviser platform managing over $30 billion in assets. Previously, Alexander founded and sold Iris Automation, contributed to NASA's Mars helicopter project, and completed the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator. With over $30 million raised in venture capital and a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition, Alexander's journey is a masterclass in innovation, resilience, and adapting to new opportunities. On this episode we talk about: – Alexander's first entrepreneurial hustle as a newspaper delivery boy and the lessons learned about persistence and customer service – The journey from working at cutting-edge startups and NASA to founding Iris Automation – The regulatory and technical challenges of launching a deep-tech company in the drone industry – The importance of flexibility and pivoting in entrepreneurship, with real-world examples from Iris Automation and Portfolio Pilot – How AI is transforming personal finance and why Alexander believes everyone will soon have a network of AI “coaches” Top 3 Takeaways 1. Persistence and relentless follow-up open doors—whether it's landing your first job or closing your first contract. 2. Success in entrepreneurship often comes from being willing to pivot, adapt, and even start from scratch when the market demands it. 3. The future of expert advice is personalized AI “coaches” that optimize every aspect of your life, from fitness to finance. Notable Quotes – "The only way to be successful is to just not die... your startup only stops once you give up on the idea." – "Sometimes the packaging is all the difference—what people really want solved might not be what you set out to solve." – "You need to be willing to pivot and react and change... that's the main key to success." Connect with Alexander Harmsen: – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderharmsen – Website: PortfolioPilot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textIn this episode of the Life Science Success Podcast my guest is Elizabeth Chabe, the founder of High Touch Group (HTG) and an expert in science marketing with a distinguished background spanning research universities, national labs, and technology transfer offices. Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience in guiding researchers through technology commercialization and providing data-driven marketing strategies for life sciences and diagnostics companies, and is also the author of "The Giant's Ladder: The Science Professional's Blueprint for Marketing Success."00:00 Introduction to Life Science Success Podcast00:29 Meet Elizabeth Chabe: Entrepreneurial Journey01:12 Early Business Ventures and Education03:59 Transition to Life Sciences and Marketing06:41 Challenges and Insights from Academia11:39 Founding High Touch Group14:55 High Touch Group Services and Success Metrics19:34 The Giants Ladder: A Book for Founders23:10 Commercializing Innovations: Strategies and Pitfalls23:56 Challenges in Creating Market Demand25:26 Common Pitfalls in Product Development25:56 Importance of Audience Research27:05 Y Combinator's Critique on Entrepreneurial Approaches27:47 The Role of Multi-Skilled Teams in Marketing29:55 Successful Marketing Campaigns34:32 Innovative Trends in Life Sciences Marketing38:00 Leadership Advice and Team Collaboration42:54 Concerns About Federal Funding Cuts46:33 Excitement for Future Diagnostic Products

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Shreya Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Zenflow.Zenflow is a medical device company focused on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A biomedical engineer, Shreya brings over 15 years of experience in medtech, including serving as a lead reviewer at the FDA, where she specialized in cardiovascular devices. Shreya co-founded Zenflow in 2014 out of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship. The company was one of the first medical device startups backed by Y Combinator and also received early support from StartX and the UCSF Rosenman Institute at QB3.Shreya's experience at Zenflow reveals strategies for grounding innovation in patient needs, building productive FDA relationships, and leveraging accelerator programs to transform academic concepts into viable businesses.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you're into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You'll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you're interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Shreya Mehta.

✈️ ¿Cómo pasó Edrizio De La Cruz de ser mecánico de aviones a emprendedor exitoso en EE.UU.?En este episodio exploramos la historia de Edrizio, su paso por *Y Combinator*, la adquisición por *Mastercard*, y cómo hoy lidera un proyecto en criptomonedas. Hablamos sobre migración, motivación, cultura financiera, y el impacto del emprendimiento latino.

Nathan Tanner is an executive coach who helps CEOs, founders, and high-impact leaders scale themselves and their companies. He's coached leaders from companies including Electronic Arts, EA, LinkedIn, Lyft, and Google. Prior to becoming a full-time coach, he held several HR executive roles, including leading the HR team at DoorDash.Nathan has served as an advisor at Y Combinator and has written for Forbes, Inc., and Fast Company. He's an IRONMAN triathlete, holds an MBA from BYU, and lives with his wife and their four children in southern Utah.In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to navigate career transitions and build meaningful relationships that enhance your leadership journey.Nathan and I discuss:The unexpected path of Nathan's career journey [01:48]Insights on pursuing a career in finance and HR [03:27]The importance of finding your passion [05:24]How to identify the right business model for your skills [08:00]The distinction between the external and internal aspects of leadership [10:14]Why trust is essential in coaching relationships [12:46]Techniques for building connections with decision-makers [15:07]The role of community in personal and professional growth [18:48]Learn more about Nathan at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVJWJR3H?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 and https://nathantanner.substack.com/Thank you to our sponsor:The Smashing the Plateau CommunityJoin us now for exclusive entry to carefully selected, brief strategy tips from our podcast– mastering your journey to success is only one click away!

Excited is overused This week, we recap Microsoft Build, Google I/O, and Java turning 30. Plus, more Vegemite talk and a discussion on whether tech presenters really need to tell us they're “excited.” Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/4ar2nzlx3gw?si=pee9R6HbHN06etA2) 520 (https://www.youtube.com/live/4ar2nzlx3gw?si=pee9R6HbHN06etA2) Runner-up Titles We all need choices Vegans are against everything The problem is you shouldn't be watching keynotes You're giving the black box too much responsibility What are you going to do? Some more stuff they announced that I don't want They're excited about that Hopefully people are excited about that I'm happy for you I want to like it Nerd famous Can you just fix calendaring? It's too much I'm not going back to Java Rundown Will Matt try marmalade with his Vegemite for the full PBJ analogue. (https://bsky.app/profile/thescarletmanuka.bsky.social/post/3lpdioobdek27) MSFT Build Microsoft Build 2025: news and announcements from the developer conference (https://www.theverge.com/news/669382/microsoft-build-2025-news-ai-agents) Microsoft announces over 50 AI tools to build the ‘agentic web' at Build 2025 (https://venturebeat.com/ai/microsoft-announces-over-50-ai-tools-to-build-the-agentic-web-at-build-2025/) Findings from Microsoft's 3-week study on Copilot use (https://newsletter.getdx.com/p/microsoft-3-week-study-on-copilot-impact) Microsoft open sources Windows Subsystem for Linux (https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/19/microsoft_wsl_open_source/) Google I/O Everything announced at the Google I/O 2025 keynote (https://www.engadget.com/ai/everything-announced-at-the-google-io-2025-keynote-171514495.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIewjPeuiVydyPgPtFxJyD7lYSE7rAY-BFM7JxN5AHvJvH_NrHmCURfrSuBK4HmB700OTDoGERdfPyB77mCb8_225GPcoppCXG4dl_bgGOA9j4E5Fprl_nUD__-69yEG5-W7vmXISAdJC2kBU3MSZErnX1TuyR1_gKfb5Hx_OdRs) Android XR is getting stylish partners in Warby Parker and Gentle Monster (https://www.theverge.com/google-io/670013/android-xr-warby-parker-gentle-monster-smart-glassesi-io-2025) Jules - An Asynchronous Coding Agent (https://jules.google/) Google Embraces MCP (https://thenewstack.io/google-embraces-mcp/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=682cf46509703200019ca4f3&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky) iOS 19 Will Let Developers Use Apple's AI Models in Their Apps (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/20/ios-19-apple-ai-models-developers/) NEW Claude MCP AI Super Agents (https://x.com/juliangoldieseo/status/1924148362653348232?s=46&t=zgzybiDdIcGuQ_7WuoOX0A) AWS Launches Its Take on an Open Source AI Agents SDK (https://thenewstack.io/aws-launches-its-take-on-an-open-source-ai-agents-sdk/) Java at 30: The Genius Behind the Code That Changed Tech (https://thenewstack.io/java-at-30-the-genius-behind-the-code-that-changed-tech/) Relevant to your Interests If AI is so good at coding … where are the open source contributions? (https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/05/13/if-ai-is-so-good-at-coding-where-are-the-open-source-contributions/) Y Combinator says Google is a ‘monopolist' that has ‘stunted' the startup ecosystem (https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/13/y-combinator-says-google-is-a-monopolist-that-has-stunted-the-startup-ecosystem) Coinbase says customers' personal information stolen in data breach (https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-customers-personal-information-stolen-in-data-breach/) DataBricks interview about Neon (https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-pro-rata-a6f0b4f0-fe7f-412f-bf4b-5978de02d604.html?chunk=1&utm_term=emshare#story1) OpenAI launches Codex, an AI coding agent, in ChatGPT (https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/16/openai-launches-codex-an-ai-coding-agent-in-chatgpt/) CarPlay Ultra, the next generation of CarPlay, begins rolling out today (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/05/carplay-ultra-the-next-generation-of-carplay-begins-rolling-out-today/) Meta argues enshittification isn't real in bid to toss FTC monopoly case (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/05/meta-says-no-proof-of-monopoly-power-wants-ftc-case-dismissed-mid-trial/) When Open Source Isn't: How OpenRewrite Lost Its Way (https://medium.com/@jonathan.leitschuh/when-open-source-isnt-how-openrewrite-lost-its-way-642053be287d) Wiz 2.0? Cyera's meteoric $6B valuation is turning heads across the cyber world | CTech (https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/shavjm2g2) Steve Langasek, One of Ubuntu Linux's Leading Lights, Has Died (https://thenewstack.io/steve-langasek-one-of-ubuntu-linuxs-leading-lights-has-died/) Python: The Documentary [OFFICIAL TRAILER] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqBqdNIPrbo) Spain Orders Airbnb to Take Down 66,000 Rental Listings (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/business/airbnb-listings-spain.html) Detecting malicious Unicode (https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2025/05/16/detecting-malicious-unicode/) Former Apple Design Guru Jony Ive to Take Expansive Role at OpenAI (https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/former-apple-design-guru-jony-ive-to-take-expansive-role-at-openai-5787f7da) Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off June 9 (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/05/apples-worldwide-developers-conference-kicks-off-june-9/) Valkey Turns One: How the Community Fork Left Redis in the Dust - Momento (https://www.gomomento.com/blog/valkey-turns-one-how-the-community-fork-left-redis-in-the-dust/?ck_subscriber_id=512834888&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=[Last%20Week%20in%20AWS]:%20Transform%20Away,%20as%20AWS%20Reverses%20Course%20-%2017665354) Nonsense Max (@StreamOnMax) on X (https://x.com/StreamOnMax/status/1922781490473034153) Uber to introduce fixed-route shuttles in major US cities designed for commuters (https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/uber-to-introduce-fixed-route-shuttles-in-major-us-cities-other-ways-to-save/) Conferences POST/CON 25 (https://postcon.postman.com/2025/), June 3-4, Los Angeles, CA, Brandon representing SDT. Register here for free pass (https://fnf.dev/43irTu1) using code BRANDON (https://fnf.dev/43irTu1) (limited to first 20 People) Contract-Driven Development: Unite Your Teams and Accelerate Delivery (https://postcon.postman.com/2025/session/3022520/contract-driven-development-unite-your-teams-and-accelerate-delivery%20%20%20%20%20%208:33) by Chris Chandler SREDay Cologne, June 12th, 2025 (https://sreday.com/2025-cologne-q2/#tickets) - Coté speaking, discount: CLG10, 10% off. SDT News & Community Join our Slack community (https://softwaredefinedtalk.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-1hn55iv5d-UTfN7mVX1D9D5ExRt3ZJYQ#/shared-invite/email) Email the show: questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Free stickers: Email your address to stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Follow us on social media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/softwaredeftalk), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@softwaredefinedtalk), Mastodon (https://hachyderm.io/@softwaredefinedtalk), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/software-defined-talk/), BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/softwaredefinedtalk.com) Watch us on: Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/sdtpodcast), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OJPV6h9tp-hbsGBLGsDQ/featured), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/softwaredefinedtalk/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@softwaredefinedtalk) Book offer: Use code SDT for $20 off "Digital WTF" by Coté (https://leanpub.com/digitalwtf/c/sdt) Sponsor the show (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/ads): ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Recommendations Brandon: MurderBot (https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwi286yM0KiNAxUELNQBHStVDhgYABABGgJvYQ&co=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxJvBBhDuARIsAGUgNfjytNAoEF2oBZYZixtUoB15h1o0UU1SJRQp-A-GFE_i0FGLHOE5wY8aAoFzEALw_wcB&cce=1&sig=AOD64_3mm-tO-giOK7S1lj45fNCC7pw-6w&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiFq6eM0KiNAxXI4ckDHc0cBAMQ0Qx6BAg9EAE)

What if the world's most connected tech investor handed you his mental playbook? Elad Gil, an investor behind Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase and Anduril, flips conventional wisdom on its head and prioritizes market opportunities over founders. Elad decodes why innovation has clustered geographically throughout history, from Renaissance Florence to Silicon Valley, where today 25% of global tech wealth is created. We get into why he believes AI is dramatically under-hyped and still under-appreciated, why remote work hampers innovation, and the self-inflicted wounds that he's seen kill most startups.   This is a masterclass in pattern recognition from one of tech's most consistent and accurate forecasters, revealing the counterintuitive principles behind identifying world-changing ideas.  Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in January. The pace of AI development is staggering, and some of what we discussed has already evolved. But the mental models Elad shares about strategy, judgment, and high-agency thinking are timeless and will remain relevant for years to come. Approximate timestamps: Subject to variation due to dynamically inserted ads. (2:13) - Investing in Startups (3:25) - Identifying Outlier Teams (6:37) - Tech Clusters (9:55) - Remote Work and Innovation (11:19) - Role of Y Combinator (15:19) - The Waves of AI Companies (20:24) - AI's Problem Solving Capabilities (26:13) - AI's Learning Process (30:41) - Prompt Engineering and AI (32:00) - AI's Role in Future Development (34:37) - AI's Impact on Self-Driving Technology (40:16) - The Role of Open Source in AI (43:23) - The Future of AI in Big Players (44:23) - Regulation and Safety Concerns in AI (49:11) - Common Self-Inflicted Wounds (51:34) - Scaling the CEO and Avoiding Conventional Wisdom (55:21) - Workplace Culture (58:39) - Patterns Among Outlier CEOs (1:15:50) - Remote Work and its Implications (1:18:47) - The Impact of Clusters and Exceptional Individuals (1:25:41) - Investing in Defense Technology (1:27:38) - Business Model Shift in the Defense Industry (1:31:46) - Changes in Warfare SHOPIFY: Upgrade your business and get the same checkout I use. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/knowledgeproject NORDVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan go to nordvpn.com/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30 day money-back guarantee! Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠ Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Watch on YouTube: ⁠@tkppodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's show: Jason, Lon & Alex are back with a spicy Monday episode of This Week in Startups. Jason goes off on unions vs capitalism, we dig into why fewer seed startups are making it to Series A, and look at OpenAI's quiet copyright land grab. Plus: YC says Google should be broken up (then kind of walks it back), Perplexity's wild $14B valuation, and Saudi Arabia wants its own national AI. We wrap with an Office Hours chat with Kevin Bondzio from Streamfog on the future of AR ads in livestreaming.*Timestamps:(2:38) Why Jason's obsessed with Reddit's anti-work community(10:30) Coda - Get started for free at https://coda.io/twist(12:21) Seed Stage Graduation rates(20:43) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(26:11) What's going on with Tech M&A?(30:04) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist(33:50) What's going on with the Copyright Office?(37:24) Licensing and competitive advantage in the AI era(48:28) AI and the future of subscription-based content(56:42) StreamFog wants to change the way creators advertise(1:14:13) Perplexity's mega-valuation gets even mega-er(1:19:13) How Saudi Arabia just became an AI startup(1:22:05) Y Combinator pokes it's nose in the Google antitrust case*Subscribe 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/v19fcp*Links from episode:Check out Streamfog: https://streamfog.com/Check out Peter Walkers post on “Graduating from Seed to Series A” https://x.com/PeterJ_Walker/status/1921288778192200087Learn about the HUMAIN here: https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/N2316474*Follow Kev:X: https://x.com/kevbondzioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-bondzio/*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/lons*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(10:30) Coda - Get started for free at https://coda.io/twist(20:43) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(30:04) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist*Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916