Build Mode

How geCKo Materials Turned a Lab Breakthrough into a Scalable Deep Tech Startup

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:41:00 -0000

Deep tech founders face a unique challenge: turning breakthrough science into a scalable startup. From navigating academia and IP to fundraising, manufacturing, and product-market fit, the path from research lab to real-world impact is anything but straightforward.

This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials and 2024 Startups Battlefield runner up. geCKo Materials is building a bio-inspired adhesive with applications across robotics, manufacturing, and even space. In this episode, they explore how she turned a Stanford PhD breakthrough into a venture-backed deep tech company.

This conversation covers:

How to turn academic research into a scalable startup
The challenges of moving from Stanford PhD to founder and CEO
What it takes to raise capital as a deep tech and hardware startup
Why commercialization and manufacturing are the hardest parts of innovation
How to identify real-world use cases and achieve product-market fit

Following recent episodes on building teams, this conversation focuses on the foundation behind every startup: transforming breakthrough technology into a viable business.

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.

TechCrunch Disrupt: If you're thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we're back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:

00:00 The Breakthrough Moment

01:45 From Startup Battlefield to Scale

02:42 What Gecko Materials Actually Does

05:18 Turning a PhD Into a Company

07:44 The Big Vision for Gecko Materials

09:19 From Wild Ideas to Real Use Cases

11:16 Spinning Out of Stanford

14:49 Raising Capital (and a 36-Hour Round)

17:54 Breakthroughs and Momentum

18:00 Building a World-Class Team

22:19 Owning the Founder Role

24:21 Finding Product-Market Fit in Deep Tech

26:54 Why More Research Doesn’t Become Startups

29:15 What’s Next for Gecko Materials

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

How to handle layoffs with compassion with Ayal Yogev, Anjuna

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:45:00 -0000

This week’s guest is Ayal Yogev, co-founder and CEO of Anjuna Security, who has experienced both sides of the startup journey: scaling quickly during the boom years and then making the incredibly difficult decision to lay off a significant portion of his team when the market shifted.

From growing to 75 employees to scaling back and rebuilding, Yogev learned firsthand that the hardest part of leadership isn’t hiring fast, it’s making tough decisions with care, transparency, and integrity.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Yogev unpack what it really means to lead through layoffs with compassion and how founders can support their teams even in the most challenging moments. They also explore the lessons learned from scaling too quickly and how to build a more resilient company the second time around.

They discuss:

How to approach layoffs with empathy and transparency
Ways to support employees beyond financial compensation
What founders get wrong about scaling and hiring
Why culture matters most during difficult moments
Lessons from rebuilding after layoffs

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:

00:00 We grew too fast

02:30 What Anjuna actually does

04:45 Scaling the team quickly

06:10 The market crash hits

09:40 Handling layoffs with empathy

12:10 Supporting employees the right way

15:30 Why culture matters in crisis

20:50 The hiring mistake founders make

27:40 When to scale your sales team

34:40 Rebuilding after layoffs

Diverse teams start with diverse VCs with Leah Solivan, Taskrabbit

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000

If one thing has become clear this season, finding the right talent for your team isn’t as easy as picking from a pile of resumes This week’s guest is Leah Solivan, the founder of Taskrabbit and now an early-stage investor who has seen that the power to change a homogenous startup exosystem comes from empowering diverse VCs to fund underrepresented founders who will hire the hidden tech talent.

From bootstrapping TaskRabbit on credit cards to scaling it into one of the defining companies of the gig economy, Leah learned firsthand that the hardest part of building a company isn’t the product, it’s selecting the right people to build it.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Leah unpack what it really takes to build diverse teams from day one and why most companies get it wrong by waiting too long. They also explore how the lack of diversity in venture capital directly shapes who gets funded, and ultimately, who gets hired.

They discuss:

How to build diverse teams intentionally from the very beginning
Why the “easy path” in hiring leads to less diverse outcomes
The connection between diverse VCs and diverse companies
How to hire for culture and values over credentials

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:

00:00 The hard way to hire diverse talent

01:20 From engineer to Taskrabbit founder03:39 The moment that sparked Taskrabbit

07:39 Why building teams is the hardest part

12:06 Learning how to hire from scratch

17:36 Why venture capital lacks diversity

27:25 How to build diverse teams from day one

39:42 What founders get wrong about competition

Why hiring the weirdos works with Isaiah Granet, Bland

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

If one thing has become clear this season, it’s that there is no formula to building the perfect team. But no one breaks the mold quite like this week’s guest, Isaiah Granet, the co-founder and CEO of Bland. The voice AI startup has been growing at a breakneck speed but the founding team has taken their time to prioritize passion over pedigree and find their team members in places many might not think to look.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Isaiah Granet unpack a radically different approach to hiring that prioritizes aligned work ethic, curiosity, and flexibility rather than resumes and connections. So far, that approach has worked for Bland. The scrappy team has gone from pre-seed to series B in less than a year.

They discuss:

How to identify “hidden gem” talent in unexpected places
The role of cold inbound and unconventional sourcing
When to hire ahead of need and when not to
How hiring philosophy shapes company culture at scale

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:

00:00 — Hiring for Passion Over Pedigree 02:42 — Pivoting Into Voice AI 03:49 — Explosive Growth: Pre-Seed to Series B 05:00 — Surviving Hypergrowth 10:00 — Rethinking Hiring: Finding Hidden Talent 16:30 — Building and Scaling Culture 24:00 — Who to Hire (and When to Fire) 41:30 — Compensation, Equity, and Final Lessons

How to fight with your co-founder with Ian Schmidt, Trimergence

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Every founding team is a mix of personalities, communication styles, and strengths. That can be a superpower or cause founders to butt heads. Without a clear framework for navigating conflict, even the strongest teams can fall apart before they really get started.

This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Ian Schmidt, strategic advisor at Trimergence, to unpack the “personal operating system” behind every founder. As a coach, consultant, and occasionally a bouncer, Ian helps teams build the self-awareness and relational tools they need to scale without unnecessary friction.

They discuss:

Why founders should invest in coaching before conflict escalates
How to repair after conflict goes sideways
The importance of understanding your own triggers as a leader
How to create space for the self-work that actually saves time long-term

Following last week’s episode on family co-founders, this conversation expands those lessons into practical tools any founding team can use.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Conflict Isn’t the Problem

02:18 The Founder Operating System

04:21 Why Co-Founders Clash

05:34 How to Map Your Personal OS

10:26 Start Early or Pay Later

16:59 Frameworks for Navigating Conflict

23:32 Relationships, Loneliness & Support Systems

31:15 Identity, Habits & Scaling Yourself

When startups become a family business

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0000

In startups, choosing a co-founder is often compared to choosing a spouse. But what happens when your co-founder actually is family?

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannessen explores how founders navigate co-founder relationships that come with built-in trust and unique challenges. First up is Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti, the married co-founders of AI agent for procurement focusing on autonomous sourcing, Rivio. They discuss building a company from the same household and why clear roles and communication matter when both your personal and professional lives are on the line.

Then Isabelle talks with Anna Sun, co-founder of Nowadays, an AI co-pilot for corporate event planning that she launched with her sister Amy shortly after graduating from MIT. Sun explains how their sibling dynamic shapes decision-making, team culture, and the way they move quickly as founders.

They discuss:

How trust shapes strong co-founder partnerships
The benefits and challenges of building a startup with family
Dividing roles and decision-making between co-founders
Hiring and culture in early-stage startups
Why some founders turn to co-founder coaching to navigate conflict

This episode looks at how unconventional co-founder relationships can become a startup’s biggest advantage and why trust may be the most powerful tool a founding team has.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Building a lean team before raising big with David Park, Narada

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0000

This week on Build Mode, we’re joined by David Park, co-founder and CEO of Narada, an enterprise AI agent platform spun out of UC Berkeley AI Lab research. Narada uses large action models to automate complex, multi-step workflows across enterprise systems. After previously co-founding and exiting Coverity, Park is now building his second company with a different playbook: Stay lean, talk to customers, and don’t raise before you’re ready.

In this episode, he shares why Narada spent a year making nearly 1,000 customer calls before raising institutional capital, how the company reached 99.99% reliability in production environments, and why he believes too much funding too early can derail even the strongest teams. Park also reflects on his experience as a Startup Battlefield Top 20 company and the lessons he’s carried from his first exit into building Narada.

He breaks down:

Why customers won’t tell you your “baby is ugly” — but their wallets will

How Narada achieves enterprise-grade AI reliability

Why raising money before product-market fit can be dangerous

The discipline of building a lean, “mean building machine”

When to scale your go-to-market team (and when not to)

Why founders must stick to their values, even under pressure

Lessons from Startup Battlefield and building in public

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.

Founders Summit: If you want to take these conversations beyond the podcast, then come join us in person at a TechCrunch event on June 9 in Boston, we're hosting our founders Summit, which is essentially build mode in real life. It's a full day focused entirely on founders, builders and the conversations that actually move startups forward. It's also a great way to sharpen your story. Get your tickets.

TechCrunch Disrupt: If you're thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we're back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type

00:00 – Why customers won’t tell you the truth (but their wallets will)
02:43 – What Narada does: enterprise AI agents powered by large action models
04:28 – Enterprise reliability: reaching 99.99% accuracy
07:32 – Trust, security, and on-prem deployment
12:26 – Bootstrapping, 1,000 customer calls & finding real pain
15:05 – Raising after traction & meeting their lead VC at Disrupt
18:47 – Scaling responsibly after product-market fit
22:46 – Go-to-market strategy & leveraging channels
23:48 – From Coverity exit to Narada: a founder’s second act
27:05 – Founder advice: passion, grit & integrity
30:20 – Fake it till you make it? Not quite.
30:44 – Startup Battlefield experience
36:05 – Final reflections on disruption & building for impact

Behavioral AI and the compatibility advantage with Sarah Lucena, Mappa

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:00:00 -0000

This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time.

This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60 seconds. After rebuilding teams over and over again early in her career, Sarah set out to answer the question: why do “great on paper” candidates fail to flourish after their hired?

In this episode, she explains how Mapa analyzes thousands of voice biomarkers, from speech patterns to linguistic signals, to build behavioral profiles and match candidates based on compatibility, not just the on-paper credentials. They help their clients make the right hired the first time, saving crucial time and money.

She breaks down:

• Why most hiring decisions are still a gamble
• Compatibility vs. similarity (and why it matters)
• How voice biomarkers reveal behavioral traits
• How to reduce bias without lowering the bar
• How founders should think about building aligned teams

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a fast-growing startup, this episode will change the way you think about talent, team dynamics, and what it really means to be a “fit.”

Chapters:

00:00 – Why great hires still fail
00:47 – Meet Sarah Lucena (Founder & CEO, Mappa)
01:39 – What Mappa does: voice → behavioral intelligence
04:22 – Why voice (not video) is the best signal
06:03 – The proprietary dataset & real-life outcomes
12:30 – Mapping companies, not just candidates
14:27 – Compatibility vs. similarity
16:10 – Bias, diversity & better hiring signals
23:53 – Expanding beyond hiring (VCs, finance, insurance)
30:16 – Using Mappa to evaluate investors
33:02 – Building Mappa’s own team
35:49 – Founder advice: patience, compatibility & lawyers
39:16 – Startup Battlefield experience
41:29 – Outro

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Compensation, culture, and cap tables with Yuri Sagalov, General Catalyst

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy.

We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked with hundreds of pre-seed and seed-stage startups, and he shares practical advice on how early-stage founders should think about startup equity, cap table design, investor selection, and compensation structures from day one.

He breaks down:

The 3 types of investors (and which one to avoid)

Why your cap table is part of your team

The 20–25% seed dilution rule

How to split equity with a co-founder

How to talk to early employees about risk and compensation

No matter where you are in your startup journey, this episode will help you get the incentive structure right from the beginning.

Chapters:

00:00 - Why your first hires deserve more equity
00:31 - Meet Yuri Sagalov (YC → General Catalyst)
02:12 - Your cap table is part of your team
02:50 - The 3 types of investors (avoid this one)
05:02 - How to split equity with a co-founder
07:55 - How much equity to give early employees
09:37 - How to talk compensation and risk
12:31 - Red flags in formation docs and vesting
18:27 - Advisors for equity? Usually a mistake
20:05 - The 20–25% seed dilution rule
26:03 - The shift to 10-year stock options
34:11 - Don’t scale before product-market fit
39:23 - Final advice: Just start and choose your co-founder carefully

Build Mode is back: Building world-class founding teams

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:50:00 -0000

It takes a village to build something great. In Season 2 of Build Mode, we go deep on how to assemble a founding team that signals ambition, execution, and long-term success. Founders and investors share candid lessons on hiring, structuring, and scaling teams that actually win. New episodes coming February 19.

It’s time to throw away the old go-to-market playbook with Paul Irving from GTMfund

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:00:00 -0000

n the season finale of Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Paul Irving, Partner and COO of GTMfund, to discuss go-to-market strategies for the AI era. Paul shares specific, actionable advice on how early-stage startups can win even when facing well-funded competitors who iterate at lightning speed. He also explains why distribution has become the final remaining moat when technical advantages disappear in months instead of years, and why every company needs a unique go-to-market motion tailored to their specific ICP.

If you just can’t get enough AI-native GTM strategies, check out this episode of the GTMnow podcast: Build your AI Outbound Machine with ChatGPT

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:44 Meet Paul Irving - GTM Fund

04:02 Finding Competitive Edge in Specific Channels

07:34 Matching Operators to Startups with AI

12:08 The End of the B2B SaaS Playbook Era

14:09 Creative GTM Strategies

16:18 The Power of Warm Introduction Mapping

23:04 Success Stories: Ryder and Vanta

25:25 Red Flags in Go-to-Market Strategy

27:29 Advice for Resource-Constrained Founders

31:22 When to Start Hiring a GTM Team

34:57 Outro

Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

2026 predictions from LP-lead investments to IPO mania: Equity crossover

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 16:00:00 -0000

We're bringing you a special TechCrunch podcast crossover episode. Isabelle joins Equity Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan to dissect the year's biggest tech developments, from mega AI funding rounds that defied expectations to the rise of "physical AI," and make their calls for 2026.

The group tackled everything from why AI agents didn't live up to the hype in 2025 (but probably will in 2026), to how Hollywood will push back against AI-generated content, to why VCs are facing a serious liquidity crisis.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Why world models are the next big thing in AI and how they're different from large language models
The death of "stealth mode" for AI startups and the rise of alternative funding sources
Predictions on regulatory chaos around AI policy and what Trump's recent executive order means for startups
Hot takes on IPOs: Will OpenAI and Anthropic actually go public in 2026?
Rapid-fire predictions including Johnny Ive and Sam Altman's inevitable public breakup, the return of dumb phones, and why everyone will be calling themselves "AI native"
What's coming in Build Mode season 2: A deep dive into team building, hiring, and finding co-founders

Chapters:

00:00 Intro - TechCrunch Build Mode & Equity Crossover Episode

00:27 Meet the Hosts - Predictions Episode Introduction

02:49 Reviewing 2024 Predictions - The Mega Funding Rounds

05:40 AI Startup Funding Challenges and Alternative Capital Sources

08:05 2026 AI Predictions - World Models and the Next Evolution

12:41 Physical AI - The Intersection of Robotics and Intelligence

14:07 AI in Media and Content Creation

18:48 Netflix-Warner Brothers Deal and FTC Predictions

21:09 The LP Direct Investment Trend

23:26 IPOs and Deep Tech Capital Challenges

25:49 Startup Battlefield Trends - Verticalized AI Across Industries

28:08 Rapid Fire Predictions - Fashion, Self-Driving Cars, and More

30:25 The Dumb Phone Comeback and Foldable iPhones

32:51 Build Mode Season 2 Preview - People and Team Building

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Making life (and death) better despite regulatory barriers

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:54:00 -0000

Founders Gabriel Sanchez (Enspectra Health) and Tom Harries (Earth Funeral) share what it takes to build in heavily regulated industries where "move fast and break things" simply won't work. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the realities of navigating FDA approval processes, state-by-state regulations, and cultural taboos while building products that are literally matters of life and death. Gabriel walks through Enspectra's nearly decade-long journey to FDA clearance for their skin imaging device, while Tom discusses building a human composting service as an alternative to cremation and burial. They offer tactical advice on iterating while waiting for regulatory approval, planning your runway when success is largely out of your hands, and raising venture capital in spaces that many investors consider too taboo to touch.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:30 Meet Gabriel Sanchez - Enspectra Health

02:34 The First FDA-Approved Skin Imaging Physics in 28 Years

04:24 From Stanford Lab to Clinical Device

06:43 Navigating FDA Clearance and Reimbursement Strategy

43:33 Scaling While Managing Regulatory Barriers

46:55 Where Earth is Today and Future Growth

48:00 Outro

Capital is a commodity (but your investor relationships aren’t)

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:03:00 -0000

Venture capitalists Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) and Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker Ventures) pull back the curtain on how VCs build their own go-to-market strategies — not just how they evaluate startups, but also how they win over LPs and founders alike. In this episode of Build Mode, they share hard-won lessons from raising their first funds and how that experience allows them to empathize with founders. They discuss why "founder-market fit" applies to VCs too, how authentic thought leadership beats manufactured content, and why the best investor relationships start years before you need the money. Plus, the importance of building trust over transactions and why your network truly is your competitive advantage in venture.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:01 Meet the VCs: From Netscape to Costa Rica

03:06 The Horror Show of Raising a First Fund

05:29 Building a Fund as Proof of Concept

08:52 The Schtick: Why VCs Need a Unique Thesis

11:44 Thought Leadership That Actually Works

15:34 The Qualification Process: Knowing in Two Minutes

19:06 Authentic vs. Manufactured Content

27:59 Building Relationships Before You Need Money

30:00 Founder-Market Fit for VCs

32:52 Key Takeaways: Person, Firm, Terms—In That Order

36:45 Field Notes: Creative Ways VCs Court Founders

Your network is your first go-to-market strategy

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:05:00 -0000

Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg share how they transformed their pro-athlete star power into a fundraising platform that allows their community the ability to donate to a variety of organization and win high-value prizes. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal how they leveraged their networks to disrupt the charitable giving industry, from raising half a million dollars for the NFL in their first year to learning hard lessons about scaling too fast. They discuss the pivot from $10,000 golf tournaments to $10 sweepstakes entries, building trust with both celebrities and fans, and why your network is your greatest competitive advantage.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:58 Meet the Founders: From NFL to Tech Startup
03:53 The $10,000 Golf Tournament That Sparked Everything
06:14 Navigating the Nonprofit-Tech Startup Hybrid Model
11:44 Leveraging Star Power: The NFL Partnership Win
15:34 Getting Athletes to Say Yes: The Trust Factor
19:06 When Identity Crisis Hits: Scaling Too Fast
27:59 The Mistake of Outsourcing Your Vision
30:00 Founder Market Fit: Your Network Is Your Net Worth
32:52 Key Takeaways: Building Thought Leadership Without Celebrity Status

From military logistics to Startup Battlefield 2025 champion with Glīd founder, Kevin Damoa

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Glīd CEO and founder Kevin Damoa shares what it takes to win Startup Battlefield 2025 and build a company solving real infrastructure problems. Fresh off his victory, De reveals how a veteran's perspective on logistics led to an autonomous solution bridging congested roads and underutilized rail. Plus, he shares how mindfulness, mission-driven culture, and $70M in early customer commitments positioned Glīd for success.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:13 What Glīd does: Autonomous transloading explained

02:40 From military logistics to founding Glīd

04:05 Moving containers: The versatility of TEUs

04:47 $70M in commitments and five railroad partnerships

05:01 Why Glīd launched three products at once

08:47 The Startup Battlefield experience and preparation

12:15 Pitching on stage: Nerves, preparation, and execution

15:32 The camaraderie among Startup Battlefield competitors

19:47 Veteran founders and mission-driven companies

25:01 Post-win momentum: Customers, investors, and talent

27:15 Hiring on vibes: Glīd's culture of God, family, self, and commitment

28:25 Kevin's advice: Meditate, don't freak out

29:00 Tips for aspiring Startup Battlefield applicants

Beyond growth hacks: real stories of reaching untapped markets

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:00 -0000

Luna co-founder Jas Schembri-Stothart and Untapped Solutions founder Andre Peart share how they cracked go-to-market for audiences most startups avoid. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the guerrilla tactics, trust-building strategies, and creative experiments that helped them reach teenage girls and formerly incarcerated workers—from crashing Taylor Swift concerts to keynoting re-entry conferences.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro

03:15 Getting Grilled by Teens: Luna's School Roadshow

05:04 The Ambassador Army That Designed the App

06:11 When Teen Content Goes Viral on TikTok

07:32 Untapped's Origin: From Prison to Building Solutions

11:03 The Power of Storytelling in B2B Sales

14:02 Navigating Data Privacy with Sensitive Populations

15:29 The Challenge of Dual Audiences: Teens and Parents

17:43 Why Word of Mouth Beats Any Ad Campaign

19:41 The Taylor Swift Concert That Almost Got Shut Down

22:15 Key Takeaways for Any Founder

22:41 Field Notes: Creative Go-to-Market from the Community

The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:00:00 -0000

Forethought AI co-founder Deon Nicholas shares how he built a company that puts customers (not hype) at the center. In this episode of Build Mode, he unpacks his “7-Failure Rule,” the early experiments that shaped Forethought’s success, and why conviction should always come from your users, not your investors.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:23 The Founder Journey: Adapting Every 6-9 Months

05:33 From AI Research to Solving Business Problems

11:12 Finding Your Customer: The Importance of User Conversations

18:22 Building Demos and Landing First Paying Customers

25:12 The Seven Failure Rule for Product Market Fit

30:38 Preparing for and Winning TechCrunch Disrupt

35:16 The Reality of Fundraising and Chasing Metrics

39:07 Navigating Competition in Customer Service AI

43:03 Stepping into Chairman and What's Next

44:57 Outro

Product, Meet Market

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:58:00 -0000

Build Mode is TechCrunch's newest podcast, hosted by Startup Battlefield Editor, Isabelle Johannessen. This season we’re talking with founders and VCs sharing hard-won lessons on getting to market—the right way, the hard way, and the creative way.

Introducing Build Mode

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 21:33:00 -0000

TechCrunch is launching a new podcast Build Mode, which brings candid startup wisdom from the people who build, break, and build again. Build Mode is hosted by our very own Startup Battlefield Editor, Isabelle Johannessen who is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into the uncomfortable truths about startup life. Think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. Wherever you are in your startup journey, this podcast will be your field guide. Season 1 is launching November 13.

Saying goodbye to Found where we started

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 16:06:12 -0000

This is our last episode of Found so we wanted to share where it all started. Please enjoy our very first episodewith Jordan Crook and Darrell Etherington interviewing Iman Abuzeid from Incredible Health. Please be sure to check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity And if you find yourself missing Found, you can always go back into the archives at techcrunch.com/found.

How to build a company that can save the world while generating profit

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 15:17:16 -0000

For this week's episode, we’re sharing a bonus conversation from backstage at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt. Tim De Chant talked with Areeb Malik, co-founder and CTO of Glacier; Allison Wolff, co-founder and CEO of Vibrant Planet, and Hyuk-Jeen Suh, co-founder of Venx and general partner at SkyRiver Ventures. On stage the panel discussed how a startup can balance doing good with delivering the financial returns they need to keep the lights on. They continue in that vein for this bonus conversation as they dive deep into how successful founder have built profitable companies that are good for the world.

Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nick Frosst from Cohere

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:45:18 -0000

Enterprise AI is booming so it’s no wonder that, as companies figure out how to implement it, the industry of AI infrastructure is emerging. This week Becca and Dom talk to Nick Frosst from Cohere, the AI company building natural language models for enterprise customers. They discuss why Frosst thinks the AI boom isn’t built on a bubble, whether or not AI companies are building toward a “digital god”, and how AI regulation could be a good thing.

(0:00) Introduction

(6:15) Enterprise applications for AI language models

(12:12) Building multilingual models

(14:58) Fundraising and the AI bubble

(19:46) AI and sustainability

(25:14) Building the Cohere team

(29:44) Host discussion

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

Connect with us:

On Twitter
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Rethinking the social network with Andy Dunn from Pie

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 16:29:00 -0000

In this episode, Dom and Becca are joined by Former Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn to talk about his mission to reverse America's loneliness epidemic through Pie, an app built to facilitate connections in the real world. They discuss the lessons Dunn brought from fundraising for Bonobos to Pie, founder mental health, and building a consumer movement in the midwest.

The playbook for empathy-driven investing with Erin and Sara Foster from Oversubscribed Ventures

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:16:00 -0000

On this episode of Found, Dom is joined by Sara and Erin Foster along with their advisor at Oversubscribed Ventures, Phil Schwarz. Across their careers, the Foster sisters have co-founded the clothing line Favorite Daughter, co-led creative for Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF, and currently co-host a podcast together. Erin Foster even created the top Netflix show “Nobody Wants This,” starring Kristen Bell. But in this conversation we get into how they made the pivot to VC, the type of investments that excite them the most, and how they balance all of the different facets of their careers.

00:00 - Introduction

02:27 - Empathy in VC

04:41 - The Influence of Whitney Wolfe Herd and Kim Kardashian

09:45 - Working with Family

12:27 - Prioritizing Mental Health and Work-Life Balance

15:24 - Media Perception of Female Founders

Closing a major gap in women's health with Alloy Women's Health

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:00:00 -0000

This week on found, Dom and Becca are talking with the co-founders of Alloy Women’s Health who just closed a new funding round to expand its mission of fixing menopause care. Monica Molinar and Anne Fulenwider discuss raising capital in a competitive health tech landscape, their choice to bypass traditional insurance models, and how this funding will help them scale their telehealth platform nationally.

00:00 - Introduction
04:37 - Turning personal experience into a business idea
08:55 - The challenges of raising awareness about menopause
10:00 - Why Alloy bypasses insurance
15:00 - Scaling a telehealth model
18:06 - How the political landscape affects women’s health
20:00 - Addressing disparities in menopause treatment
23:26 - Lessons from Alloy’s fundraising journey
30:00 - The benefits of a co-CEO leadership model
37:17 - Closing thoughts

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Building a data powerhouse for the AI era with Felix Van de Maele from Collibra

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:27:38 -0000

This week on Found, Dom and Becca are diving into the world of data governance with Collibra CEO Felix Van de Maele. They get into how maintaining organized data started as a niche concept and became the bedrock of AI and privacy compliance. They also talk about the early challenges of building a startup in Belgium, the lucky breaks that saved the company, and why Felix believes every employee is a “data citizen.”

00:00 - Introduction
02:00 - The Importance of Organized Data in the Age of AI
05:00 - Collibra’s Early Days
07:13 - How the 2008 Financial Crisis Sparked Collibra’s Growth
10:00 - Navigating the Evolution of Data Governance
15:00 - Balancing Privacy, Security, and AI Integration
19:25 - Overcoming Early Challenges
25:00 - Lessons in Leadership and Building a Team
30:00 - The Future of Collibra and the Role of Data Citizens
31:42 - Closing Reflections and Takeaways

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Taking Generative AI into the physical world with Raquel Urtasun from Waabi

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:40:22 -0000

In this episode, Dom and Becca dive into the future of trucking with Raquel Urtasun, CEO and co-founder of Waabi, a company pioneering driverless, long-haul trucks powered by generative AI. They talked about Waabi's unique simulation-based training approach, its vision for autonomous technology, and how it could redefine the trucking industry and workforce.

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What the Chainsmokers bring to the cap table with Dan Lorenc from Chainguard

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:59:17 -0000

This week we’re taking you backstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Becca Szkutak had the chance to talk with Dan Lorenc, the CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity startup Chainguard following their conversation on stage with prominent investors, The Chainsmokers. They discuss how the EDM duo's venture fund MANTIS went from being viewed skeptically by traditional VCs to becoming a highly sought-after investment partner in the B2B space, how Lorenc scaled the company in a difficult time for cybersecurity, and what value celebrity investors can add to a startup.

Check out the full onstage conversation here.

00:00 - Introduction

02:27 - Chainguard: Company Overview and Open Source Security

05:27 - Google Background and Solar Winds Impact

08:02 - Building Chain Guard: Product Evolution

11:44 - Early Fundraising and Timing

12:53 - The Legendary Alex Pall Cold Emails

15:01 - MANTIS Investment Impact

16:11 - Company Growth and Future Plans

16:51 - Learning from Early Mistakes

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Designing a more intelligent firearm with Kai Kloepfer from Biofire

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:19:38 -0000

Recorded live from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Found co-hosts Becca Szkutak and Dominic Davis sit down with Kai Kloepfer, CEO of Biofire, a smart gun company that aims to prevent firearm misuse. Kloepfer gets into the hurdles of building a hardware startup in the firearm industry from fundraising to building a reliable product. Please note this conversation deals with topics around gun violence and suicide.

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How smart UX can lead to company success with Howie Liu from Airtable

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:26:25 -0000

This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Howie Liu, the CEO and co-founder of Airtable to talk about how the Airtable team used smart UX to make app development accessible to even the least technical users. They also discuss how human-computer interaction is at the core of Airtable’s mission and behind each new product they put out. And they get into early missteps, the investor advice that Liu didn’t follow, and the unlikely inspiration behind Airtable’s design.

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Competing in the payroll and benefits space with Josh Reeves from Gusto

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:00:00 -0000

This week on Found Dom and Becca talk with Josh Reeves, co-founder and CEO of Gusto. He shares how the company is transforming small business operations. We explore the complexities of payroll, benefits, and compliance, and how Gusto is helping entrepreneurs navigate these challenges. They also discuss hoe Gusto has managed to stand out in a competitive industry and the important of being excited by the problem you're solving as an entrepreneur.

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Scaling a DTC toy business with Sandra Oh Lin from KiwiCo

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 15:37:37 -0000

In this week's episode of Found, KiwiCo’s Sandra Lin talks about building a STEM-focused toy business. She explains the importance of inspiring creativity in kids, the company’s massive growth to 50 million crates delivered, and how she sought out feedback from parents and kids alike. They also discuss how the company recently expanded from and online-only DTC to selling in brick and mortar stores.

00:00 - Introduction
01:24 - The Story Behind KiwiCo: From Idea to Business
04:53 - Turning an Idea into a Marketable Product
06:32 - Testing and Feedback Beyond the Bay Area
10:00 - Early Marketing Strategies and Organic Growth
15:50 - Expanding into Retail and New Channels
16:06 - The Product Development Process at KiwiCo
21:27 - Fundraising and Navigating the Venture Capital Path
25:51 - Balancing Entrepreneurship with Family Life
31:01 - Early Challenges and Lessons Learned
35:08 - What’s Next for KiwiCo

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Driving change in the UK's used car market with Harry Jones from Motorway

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:00:00 -0000

Most used car dealers in the U.K. get their stock from auctions, and one startup is moving the process online to make it easier for both car owners and car dealers. This week, Becca and special co-host Kirsten are talking with Harry Jones, the co-founder of Motorway, a U.K. startup helping professional car dealers to bid in an auction for privately owned cars for sale. Motorway has seen rapid success, with a car sold every three minutes and a GMV of £2.2 billion last year. In this episode, Becca, Kirsten and Harry chat about the importance of focusing on a core market and how he and his co-founders built a strong and lasting partnership.

00:00 - Introduction and overview of Motorway

03:03 - Early days and initial ideas for Motorway

05:50 - Pivot to its current model

08:08 - Working with dealerships

10:18 - U.S. vs U.K. and market focus

15:05 - Initial traction, challenges and demand from dealers

25:39 - The co-founding team and their long-term collaboration

30:31 - Lessons learned from previous companies

36:04 - Motoway's future

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Finally an AI-powered Roomba for tennis with Haitham Eletrabi from Tennibot

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:00:00 -0000

This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Haitham Eletrabi, the creator of Tennibot. They discuss his journey from civil engineering to inventing a device that he calls the "roomba for tennis". Tennibot not only picks up tennis balls autonomously but also saves players and coaches time, allowing them to focus on improving their game. Join us as we explore how this innovative product is transforming the tennis world, from its humble beginnings to becoming a game-changer in sports tech.

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Your data isn’t ready for AI with Prukalpa Sankar from Atlan

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:13:25 -0000

Finding order in chaotic datasets is key for companies to be able to implement AI solutions that actually work. This week’s guest is Prukalpa Sanka, the co-CEO and co-founder of Atlan, a platform designed to help data teams build trust, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively. Atlan emerged from the challenges of managing complex data projects and is now empowering organizations to scale their data operations while maintaining transparency and trust. In this episode they discuss how Atlan has maintained a fun company culture despite the stress and how her and her co-founder have maintained a great working relationship for the past 12 years.

00:00 - Introduction

02:31 - Founding story and early challenges

06:19 - Overcoming high-stakes data issues

08:45 - The evolution of data and AI

13:31 - Building a product to solve key problems

16:13 - Adapting to technological change

19:21 - The growing role of AI in business

21:05 - Preparing data for AI integration

24:27 - Addressing bias and ethics in AI

26:52 - Fundraising and fun marketing

31:34 - Maintaining a strong co-founder relationship

33:47 - Final thoughts and reflections

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Closing the gaps in hormonal healthcare with Sylvia Kang from Mira

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:20:28 -0000

Research is completely lacking when it comes to information about women’s hormonal health. Today’s guest is working to compile data and help women find the care they need. This week on Found, we’re talking to Sylvia Kang, the CEO and co-founder of Mira, a women’s health company that is providing home hormonal testing. They discuss the challenges on fundraising for women’s health startups, the importance of research to drive change and access in healthcare, and how Mira forged a new path by becoming FDA approved.

00:00 - Introduction and Overview of Women’s Hormonal Health
01:45 - The Lack of Hormonal Health Data and Fertility Challenges
05:11 - The Inspiration Behind Starting Mira
07:30 - Early Feedback from Doctors and Investors
10:58 - The Evolution of the Women’s Health Market
13:25 - Overcoming the Lack of Scientific Research and Data Collection
16:51 - Impact of COVID-19 on Mira’s Growth
18:42 - Mira as a Cost-Effective Solution to Fertility Issues
21:29 - Mira’s Expansion Beyond Fertility and into IVF
25:02 - Utilizing AI to Personalize Hormonal Health Tracking
28:35 - Sylvia’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
32:15 - Building a Female-Driven Company Culture at Mira
34:49 - The Future of Women’s Health and Expanding Mira’s Impact

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Cleaning up the macro-messes caused by microplastics with Sarah Paiji Yoo from Blueland

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:01:14 -0000

Microplastics are everywhere: In our water, cleaning supplies, and in so many of our everyday household essentials. This week’s guest, Sarah Paiji Yoo, started Blueland to help us cut out microplastics and reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use, once and for all. Blueland creates eco-friendly and plastic free cleaning supplies. This week, Dom is joined by Tim De Chant to talk with Sarah about all the challenges of developing sustainable and safe cleaning supplies from formulation to creating a retail strategy and the role of corporate advocacy in driving environmental change.

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Lessons from a lifetime entrepreneur with Eric Ly from KarmaCheck

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:45:27 -0000

It’s not every week that Becca and Dom get to talk to a founder who has been building companies for the past 22 years. This week on Found, we’re joined by Eric Ly, co-founder of LinkedIn and the current co-founder and CEO of KarmaCheck startup that is making the background check process quicker and more transparent. Ly discusses his vision for streamlining background checks, the challenges of building multiple companies, and how his entrepreneurial mindset has evolved since the early days of the internet. You’ll learn about the future of online trust and the potential impact of blockchain technology on identity verification.

00:00 - Introduction and Two Truths and a Lie

02:00 - Introducing Karma Check: Background Checks Reimagined

05:00 - The Evolution of Background Checks

08:00 - Automating and Streamlining the Process

12:00 - Demand for Faster Background Checks in the Job Market

15:00 - Eric Ly's Entrepreneurial Journey

18:00 - The Changing Landscape of Venture Capital

21:00 - Leadership Evolution and Building Company Culture

23:00 - Entrepreneurial Mishaps and Lessons Learned

27:00 - Growing Up in Silicon Valley 29:00 - Navigating Market Cycles and Hype

31:00 - Future Possibilities: Blockchain and Digital Identity

33:00 - Conclusion and Wrap-up

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Taking on Nvidia and betting on transformers with Gavin Uberti from Etched

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 14:36:16 -0000

In this episode of Found, Becca and Dom sit down with Gavin Uberti, co-founder and CEO of Etched, an AI chip startup focusing on developing specialized chips. Gavin shares the bold bet his startup is making on transformer models for AI chips, aiming to take on industry giant Nvidia. They discuss how Etched is developing specialized chips that they claim will be an order of magnitude faster than competitors, and Uberti shares his insights on the future of AI hardware as models continue to rapidly scale up in size and capability.

[00:00] Introduction to Etched and AI chips

[03:46] The bet on transformer models

[05:08] Competition with Nvidia

07:45] Environmental impact of chip manufacturing

[10:13] Etched's chip development progress

[12:35] Customer demand and strategic investors

[14:06] Fundraising journey

[15:23] Dropping out of Harvard

[21:25] Building the company and hiring

[24:01] Leadership philosophy

[31:05] Future outlook for Etched and AI

[32:31] Wrap-up and reveal of the "two truths and a lie"

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Has Rippling won? with Parker Conrad from Rippling

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 14:40:20 -0000

HR software is big, big business. And no one understands that better than this week’s guest, Parker Conrad the CEO and co-founder of Rippling, a global HR company that offers global payroll, onboarding, time tracking, benefits management and more. In this episode he talks about what goes into building a leading HR tech company—from what it’s like building out features companies love, to dealing with fierce competition in this ever growing landscape. Conrad also gets into the power imbalance that can arise between VCs and founders and the drama at his previous company that inspired him to build Rippling.

(0:00) Introduction

(2:48) Parker’s previous startups

(6:09) Leaving Zenefits and starting Rippling

(9:08) Horizontal integration in HR software

(11:57) AI skepticism for software

(20:58) Managing the competition

(26:34) Growth marketing strategy

(29:36) What a founder should focus on

(35:02) VC-founder power imbalance

(40:23) Host discussion

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Building a marketplace of refurbished tech with Thibaud Hug de Larauze from Back Market

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:35:41 -0000

There is a whole marketplace for used tech, it isn’t just a good deal for the customer, but it also helps curb waste that can lead to soil contamination, non-pot able water, and dangerous living conditions. On this week’s episode of Found, we’re talking to Thibaud Hug de Larauze from BackMarket, a global marketplace for refurbished devices.

In this conversation they cover:

How BackMarket has such a successful fundraise.
Building customer trust as a refurbished marketplace
The environmental impact of recycling electronics
The Right to Repair and what will happen when everyone can fix their own phone if they choose.

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Navy Seal to maritime founder with Joe Wolfel from Terradepth

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:20:17 -0000

Despite the fact that water covers 71% of the Earth, there is still so much we don’t know about the ocean floor and today’s founder is looking to change that. Joe Wolfel is the co-founder and CEO of Terradepth, the company that is working towards increasing ocean knowledge through autonomous, high resolution, scalable data collection in the deep ocean. On this week’s episode of Found, Becca is joined by guest co-host, Tim De Chant to discuss why mapping geological features at the bottom of the ocean isn’t just something worth doing for curiosity’s sake, it’s important to a variety of players from companies looking to install offshore wind farms to the Navy. They also get into who is buying this kind of data, how Wolfel’s experience as a Navy Seal prepared him for entrepreneurship, and the trend of deeptech founders needing to find revenue streams early on as they’re developing their technology.

(0:00) Introduction

(2:07) Robotics role in mapping the ocean

(8:49) Scaling maritime data collection

(15:47) Fundraising challenges for hardware companies

(21:57) Transitioning from Navy to entrepreneurship

(24:13) Data-driven decision making

(29:43) Finding the right customer base

(35:14) Host discussion

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Maybe startups can fix higher education with Tade Oyerinde from Campus

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 14:02:24 -0000

The higher education system isn’t working. Students pay way too much, professors don’t get paid enough, and many community college students that aspire to go on to get a Bachelor's degree aren't able to. But one startup thinks they have the solution. Today Becca is talking with Tade Oyerinde, the CEO and founder of Campus, a fully accredited online community college. They discuss how Tade found a school that was willing to come on board and align with his mission, the challenges of getting investors on board, and what he thinks it will take to make the higher education system more equitable.

(0:00) Introduction

(2:15) The current issues facing community colleges

(8:28) Serving both Students and professors with Campus

(11:17) Developing the curriculum

(16:06) Finding VC partners

(19:09) Why Tade is drawn to High Education

(24:48) What inspired Tade

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Why AI companies should want regulation now with Helen Toner

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:38:58 -0000

What is the right way to regulate AI? There appears to be as many different answers to that as there are regulators. In this week's episode of Found, we're bringing you a live interview from TechCrunch's recent Strictly VC event. Becca Szkutak talked with Helen Toner, the director of strategy and foundational research grants from the Center of Security and Emerging Technology and a former board member of OpenAI. Although she's not a founder herself, this conversation centers around topics crucial to every founder building today as AI continues to impact nearly every industry.

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What makes MasterClass work? with David Rogier from MasterClass (re-release)

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:00:00 -0000

Today on Found, we’re talking to David Rogier, the CEO and founder of Masterclass, a streaming platform where you can learn from the world’s experts on a variety of topics, from baking to screen writing to developing empathy. Before David launched MasterClass, he worked as a VC. Through his connections there received a $500,000 seed round before he even had an idea for a company. That was nearly a decade ago, and today Dom, Becca and David talk about how he’s built the company since.

They also talked about:

How MasterClass was able to land its notable names from the beginning
How the company has scaled after a disappointing launch
How MasterClass has adapted to its users needs during the pandemic and beyond

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Making DTC western wear work with Paul Hedrick from Tecovas

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 14:39:15 -0000

It probably doesn’t come as too big of a surprise that cowboy boots aren’t typically sold online. So where is the modern cowboy supposed to shop? This week we’re talking to a founder who carved out a DTC market for western wear. Paul Hedrick, the founder of Tecovas, joins Dom and Becca to discuss the marketing strategy they came up with to change the perception of shopping for cowboy boots online and how the company has expanded to brick and mortar stores.

In this conversation they cover:

How social media played a big role in the early days of tecovas
The challenges of modernizing such an old-school industry
Fundraising when DTC was almost a dirty word.

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Policy is crucial to spread the AI wealth with Steve Case from AOL and Revolution Ventures

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 14:11:01 -0000

This week on Found, we have an interview from TechCrunch's Strictly VC event in DC. Becca sat down with Steve Case, the founder of AOL to discuss policy, innovation, and AI. Case, now the founder of Revolution Ventures, told the live audience that open access not only helped his company back in the 90s but is also why the internet was able to progress in the way that it did. Regulators should aim for the same goal with AI policy despite the potential risks. He argues that opening up access to horizontal AI players like OpenAI and Google would also help expand AI away from being concentrated on the coasts.

(0:00) Introduction

(1:29) AI regulation compared to the internet’s early days

(6:20) Supporting AI startups outside the traditional hugs

(11:49) AI Policy and the innovation economy

(16:40) Entrepreneurship and job creation in the US

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Creating cookware that won't poison you with Jordan Nathan

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:56:30 -0000

Many pots and pans on the market are coated in teflon, a poisonous chemical that can be harmful when it gets too hot. Luckily, there is an answer on the market — Caraway, a home goods brand that touts itself as being non-toxic but still high quality. Jordan Nathan founded the company after his own experience with Teflon poisoning that left him searching for a better — and healthier option. On this week’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Nathan to discuss how he built a brand around aesthetically pleasing non-toxic home goods as we continue to dive into DTC companies.

In this conversation they discussed:

Why being the last brand to fundraise can be a benefit to the company
Sticking to the plan to bring Caraway to retail
The product launch failure that almost killed the company before it started

(0:00) Introduction

(3:36) Creating non-toxic cookware

(7:31) Launching the brand

(13:05) Caraway Brand Strategy

(16:44) Expanding to new categories

(20:49) Influencer marketing

(25:25) Product launch failures

(29:20) Host discussion

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DTC lawn care that’s good for the planet with Coulter Lewis from Sunday

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 14:18:05 -0000

There is estimated to be 40 million acres of lawn or turf grass in the U.S., making the grass in people's backyards one of the largest crops in the U.S. and yet lawn care products are full of harmful chemicals. So Coulter Lewis decided to start a sustainable lawn care company that will help people learn how to care for their grass in a way that’s good for the planet. Sunday is a DTC that allows consumers to sign up and send in a sample of the dirt from their lawn that is used to pick out what products someone needs and tell them how much and when they need them.

In this conversation they cover:

How Coulters previous experience starting Quinn Snacks with his wife informed how he leads at Sunday
The challenges and perks of building with family members
Evolving the products from bespoke DTC offerings to general consumer in-store goods

(0:00) Introduction

(4:28) Creating personalize law care plans

(9:34) Launching DTC in this climate

(14:55) Expanding into new categories

(20:50) using data to improve products

(23:13) Building businesses with family

(28:06) Building the right team

(31:27) Regulation and expansion

(36:15) Host conversation

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AI that actually makes your job easier with Arvind Jain from Glean

Tue, 28 May 2024 13:00:00 -0000

When someone starts two incredibly successful enterprise companies, they must really understand the issues enterprises face and how to solve them. This week on Found, Becca and Dom talk with Arvind Jain, the CEO and co-founder of Glean, an AI-powered work assistant that connects and understands enterprise knowledge. The idea for Glean was born out of Jain’s experience at his previous startup Rubrik.In this conversation they cover:

How Jain knew it was time to start a new company and why it didn’t make sense to build Glean inside of Rubrik
The importance of building a self-sufficient leadership team and the downside of micromanaging
Why cybersecurity is top of mind when working with enterprise data at an AI company

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Creating the 'food as medicine' category with Ashley Tyrner from FarmboxRX

Tue, 21 May 2024 13:00:00 -0000

Food is medicine. This week’s guest on Found is Ashely Tyrner, the CEO and founder of FarmboxRx which helps their customers manage their chronic diseases through bespoke grocery boxes In this episode, Becca, Dom, and Ashley get into the logistics of delivering fresh produce to their member and how they have become profitable while accepting SNAP/EBT and partnering with health plans.

In this conversation they cover:

How Ashley’s experience living in a food desert inspired this company
The struggle to fundraise despite growing and increasing revenue
How the company is using behavioral science to help their members take actions that will improve their health.

(0:00) Introduction

(2:12) Food as medicine

(7:07) Grocery logistics with fresh produce

(9:27) Working with health plans

(15:13) Bootstrapping a capital-heavy business

(20:48) Distribution and logistics

(22:48) Ashley’s leadership style

(28:15) COvid’s impact on online grocery

(31:49) Fundraising challenges

(35:48) Host discussion

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Why a16z-backed Wonderschool is acquiring EarlyDay (Equity Interview)

Tue, 14 May 2024 14:00:00 -0000

This week we're bringing you a conversation from our friends over at Equity. Alex Wilhelm caught up with EarlyDay’s two former CEOs, Emma Harris and Melissa Tran, and their new boss, Chris Bennett at Wonderschool, to chat through the deal, what’s ahead for their sector, and more.

Wonderschool is a startup that works with individuals and local governments to spin up more childcare businesses by providing software and other support and they have acquired EarlyDay. EarlyDay, another venture-backed startup, operates a early childhood educator marketplace.

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Developing the “male IUD” with Kevin Eisenfrats from Contraline

Tue, 07 May 2024 13:21:51 -0000

Clinical trials are ongoing for the first long-lasting, reversible male birth control which is the first innovation in male birth control since the vasectomy hit the scene in 1897. This week’s Found guest is Kevin Eisenfrats, the co-founder and CEO of Contraline, a biotech company developing innovative methods to use hydrogel as a contraceptive. Contraline’s first product, ADAM, is what some are calling the first male IUD. The company will begin clinical trials in the U.S. very soon.

In this conversation they cover:

The process of fundraising when you’re creating a completely new category
Why the overturning of Roe V. Wade has led to increased interest in ADAM by men in the US
The future of Contraline and other innovations that use hydrogels

(0:00) Introduction

(2:26) The challenges to male birth control

(6:53) Why hydrogel works

(9:35) Developing ADAM

(15:08) Cultural reaction to ADAM

(20:18) Entrepreneurship in medicine

(22:39) FDA approval process

(28:09) What’s next for Contraline

(34:23) Host conversation

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How Midi raised millions for a menopause-focused platform with Joanna Strober from Midi

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:00:00 -0000

Most OBGYNs are not specifically trained in menopause, which means that women are left to suffer through their symptoms on their own. This week’s guest on Found is looking to change that. Joanna Strober is the CEO and founder of Midi, a virtual healthcare platform built specifically for women in midlife staffed with healthcare providers specifically trained to care for people going through perimenopause and menopause.

In this conversation they cover:

Why there is such a wide gap in care for women’s health and the negligent studies that are partly to blame
Working with employers and insurance companies to make sure that their services are covered under insurance
How the Midi team has raised $100 million despite many investors not understanding the potential market for care for women in midlife

(0:00) Introduction

(1:27) Midi and Joanna’s background

(4:38) The care gap

(7:12) Building out research-based care protocols

(10:00) Demand for menopause care

(13:28) Joanna’s previous founder experience

(17:04) Learnings from starting in VC

(19:33) Building out the Midi team

(22:56) Working with employers and insurance companies

(24:50) Launching in 50 states

(28:59) Fundraising experience

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Bringing down sky scrapers' sky-high carbon footprint with Joselyn Lai from Bedrock

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 14:15:33 -0000

Most skyscrapers have sky-high carbon footprints due mostly to inefficient methods of heating and cooling. Today’s guest, Joselyn Lai is the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Energy, a company that works with buildings to install geothermal systems. They have developed a system to drill the exact amount of boreholes at the precise depth needed to create the most efficient system per building.

Today Dom is joined by a special guest host, TechCrunch Climate reporter Tim De Chant.

In this conversation they cover:

How the company has built up a customer base of urban builders
Why it's easy to fundraise when the technology has been proven to be so effective
Creating clean energy jobs for people who work in oil and gas

(0:00) Introduction

(1:51) Starting Bedrock Energy

(3:59) Closed loop vs open loop systems

(8:16) Building a customer base

(12:50) Working with and around utility companies

(17:08) Clean jobs for oil and gas workers

(21:24) Decarbonizing the built environment

(26:30) Fundraising

(34:58) Host discussion

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Building EV charging infrastructure that lasts with Louis Tremblay from FLO

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:45:16 -0000

In order to get drivers to convert from gas-powered cars to electric, there needs to be reliable charging infrastructure. Today on Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Louis Tremblay, the CEO and founder of FLO, a company that manufactures electric vehicle charging stations and has been creating charging infrastructure in the US and Canada for the last 15 years. Tremblay also talked about how he intentionally built this company to be a rewarding and fun place to work and what advice he has for new founders trying to do the same.

In this conversation they cover:

The components that go into creating superchargers for public use and why these isn’t just one kind of EV plug
The process of working with cities to design charging stations that reflect the character of the city
The importance of developing the hardware alongside the software to create the best customer experience possible

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Giving old wood new life with Ben Christensen from Cambium

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 14:18:09 -0000

If you’re not in construction or in the middle of a renovation, you might not think much about wood waste but in 2018 alone landfills in the US received 12.2 million tons of wood. Most of this is useful material that could be reused, but the lack of infrastructure means the wasted wood can't always reach the developers, woodworkers, and creators who need it. This week on Found, we're talking to a founder who has a SaaS solution for this broken supply chain. Ben Christensen is the founder and CEO of Cambium, a company that is reimagining the wood supply chain and reallocating previously wasted wood to be used in new building projects.

In this conversation they cover:

Learning to navigate the logistics of sourcing, selling, and shipping wood to customers
Building a team culture based on the individual and avoiding a one size fits all approach
Onboarding customers who may be adverse to technological solutions
How AI can help create a more efficient lumber supply chain

(0:00) Introduction

(1:42) What Cambium is all about

(5:01) Climate change and wood recycling

(11:36) Developing the software

(15:54) Sourcing sustainable wood

(18:41) Going from grad school to founder

(20:01) Fundraising journey

(23:59) AI and supply chains

(25:49) Building the team

(30:15) Learning from logistics mistakes

(32:30) Staying grounded while building climate solutions

(36:40) Host conversation

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Making healthy food accessible to everyone with Nick Green from Thrive Market

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 16:00:00 -0000

Between the rising cost of groceries and the all too common food desert, access to healthy and affordable food in America is getting harder to find. Today’s guest, Nick Green is the co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, a membership-based online grocery store that focuses on natural and organic food and household products. Thrive Market isn’t just focused on offering healthy options, they want to ensure everyone has access to them so they’ve become the first online grocer to accept SNAP and EBT benefits. In this episode, Green discusses how it’s possible to build a business that is a shareholder-driven business and a business that cares about the stakeholders.

They also talked about:

The logistics of running a grocery company sustainably from the beginning
Their unusual path to funding
How they organized the leadership team with four co-founders

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Only AI can prevent forest fires with Allison Wolff from Vibrant Planet

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:09:10 -0000

Every wildfire season seems to be getting more intense than the last but today’s guest is here to tell us that wildfires actually have a good side. Today on Found, we’re joined by Allison Wolff, the co-founder and CEO of Vibrant Planet, a cloud-based planning and monitoring tool for adaptive land management. Wolff discusses why the wildfires we’re seeing today are hotter and spreading more quickly than we can contain and how proper land management can help create the environment needed for the lower, slower burning fires forrest need.

They also talked about:

How Wolff’s previous experience working with leaders at tech giants like Facebook and Netflix helped shape her leadership style
The importance of working with indigenous groups to learn how people have been managing the land for centuries
The key role AI places when it comes to monitoring land management and creating adaptive planning

(0:00) Introduction

(2:07) Vibrant Planet is modernizing land management

(11:31) Adapting land management to climate change

(16:45) Scaling nature-based climate solutions

(20:16) The benefits of a for profit company

(30:00) The importance of Indigenous knowledge in land management

(35:01) Host discussion

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Finding longevity in Fintech with Eric Glyman from Ramp

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 14:33:08 -0000

Of all the work tasks you could automate with AI, submitting expenses would probably be high on the list. Today on Found, we’re talking to Eric Glyman, the CEO and cofounder of Ramp, a spend management platform that is building AI tools to make financial workflows easier for employees and employers. In this episode they talk about what Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and how they see AI changing fintech forever.

They also talked about:

What Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and from their time working at Capital One
The white space that still exists in fintech
How Ramp is implementing security measures while ramping up their use of AI

(0:00) intro

(2:20) SImplifying financial processes

(8:41) Automation expense management

(13:46) AI could take over tedious work tasks

(19:10) Security and privacy with financial data and AI

(23:45) Taking a lower valuation

(31:54) What's next for Ramp and fintech

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Training AI-powered recycling robots with Rebecca Hu from Glacier

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:09:59 -0000

Recycling is one facet to solving the climate crisis, but most of us are doing it wrong. Today on Found, Becca and Dom are talking with Rebeca Hu, the CEO and cofounder of Glacier, an AI robotics company that is building robots to accurately sort recycling. They talk about how many of us are wish-cylers who hopefully throw non-recyclables into the bin and how Glacier’s robots are sorting the recycling and making sure all of our recycling mistakes are corrected.

They also talked about:

What it takes to train an AI-powered sorting robot
What the reception has been like in recycling facilities
How the robots are tracking the kind of waste we’re creating as they sort
How Rebecca told this story to fundraisers who have very likely never stepped foot in a recycling center.

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AI could be the solution for bureaucracy with Emilie Poteat from Advocate

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:57:49 -0000

Applying for government benefits is a slow, tedious process that often leaves applicants in limbo for several months. Advocate looks to help. Today on Found Becca and Dom are talking with Advocate’s founder Emilie Poteat, the company that helps Americans engage with federal benefits programs through its technology-enabled services platform. In this episode they discuss how the Advocate team is using AI to automate advocacy and get the wait time for people seeking aid to nearly nothing.They also talked about:

Where Poteat ultimately found fundraising success
How the government has reacted to a small startup seeking to automate such an embedded bureaucratic process
Why AI is the best tool in the technological shed to work with the mass amounts of rules and data required to navigate the social security system
How the team is implementing the security measures needed when dealing with such sensitive information

(0:00) Introduction

(4:16) the status quo of applying for government aid

(8:56) Automating government services

(13:13) using AI to automate advocacy

(18:29) Finding the right investor fit

(24:13) Hiring for a social impact company

(30:00) Collaborating with government agencies

(32:00) Host discussion

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Building in the DTC hayday with Ariel Kaye from Parachute

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:58:36 -0000

Do you know what brand your bedsheets are? Probably not. Today’s guest Ariel Kaye has been working to change that with Parachute, a DTC bedding and home goods company. Kaye started Parachute in 2013—the hayday of DTC brands. She joins Dom to talk about what it was like building as a solo founder while she’s established a well-known brand and expanded beyond bedding.

They also talked about:

Why parachute hasn’t raised as much capital as you might think
How Kaye’s branding expertise has driven the company’s identity
Kay’s best advice to avoid burnout and be the best leader possible as a solo founder

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Bringing the wedding industry into the 21st century with Shan-Lyn Ma of Zola

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:43:45 -0000

This episodes dives into the massive web of the wedding industry with Shan-Lyn Ma, the co-founder and CEO of Zola. Ma talked about why she decided to launch the business after trying to buy a gift for a friend and realizing that wedding registries were still living in the past. Ma spoke about how the company navigated changes in the digital and competitive landscapes over the last decade and how the company powered through the pandemic's impacts on the industry.

(0:00) Introduction

(3:33) Creating a better wedding planning experience

(8:45) Building in the wedding industry

(13:45) Inclusivity in the wedding space

(18:35) Personalizing wedding planning

(23:11) Adapting to the pandemic

(33:08) AI-generated thank you notes

(43:00) What's next

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Closing the talent gap and mitigating bias in hiring with Tigran Sloyan from CodeSignal

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 15:00:00 -0000

Is it time for the resume’s reign to come to an end? Tigran Sloyan is the co-founder and CEO of CodeSignal, a skills assessment platform used by many tech companies to hire engineers based on their engineering chops rather than their keyword-packed resumes. In this episode, Becca, Dom, and Tigran talk about how traditional resume-based hiring perpetuates biases and limits opportunities for individuals without extensive networks or prestigious credentials and how skills assessment lead to more equitable hiring. They also get into the CodeSignal team’s plans to go beyond assessment to skills development, how AI will play a role in building out these courses, and the way Tigran thinks about equitable hiring on his own team.

(1:32) Solving the "talent problem" in hiring and skill development

(4:55) Math competitions to MIT

(10:42) Resumes, skills assessment, and AI in the job market

(14:50) AI's impact on jobs and learning

(20:05) Personalized learning with AI tutoring

(24:47) AI tutoring platform for education and career development

(28:57) Personal growth as an entrepreneur

(32:42) Strategic hiring

(37:08) Company culture, transparency, and AI development

(40:35) AI tutoring platform and its potential impact on job requirements

(42:34) Tech industry skills training and apprenticeships

(44:16) AI-powered tutoring and personalized learning

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Bootstrapping until the business finds a home with Beatrice Dixon from The Honey Pot

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Not many businesses start with a seemingly incurable case of Bacterial Vaginosis but today’s guest, Beatrice Dixon, found a company and a cure all in one. The Honey Pot is a plant-based vaginal wellness brand that was co-founded by Beatrice after she launched by selling her products at hair shows. On today’s episode, she tells Becca and Dom how those hair shows lead to the Honey Pot hitting shelves in Target.

They also talked about:

How Beatrice knew it was time to stop bootstrapping
The importance of finding investors who understand your mission and the intentional culture of your company
The downside to having a fiercely loyal customer base
Trusting the process and making decisions with the your consumers in mind

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Navigating media's ups and downs with theSkimm co-founders

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 14:00:00 -0000

It’s hard to remember a time when newsletters weren’t flooding every inbox but today’s guests were on the forefront of bringing easily digestible news directly to their audience. Today on Found, Becca is joined by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm which is a digital media company, dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions. They talked about how they’ve navigated the digital media industry for over a decade, how they pitched this to investors when they were new to the game, and the importance of building a team that aligns with your vision.

They also talked about:

The importance of having a direct line to your audience and the benefit of building on your own platform, not on social media
Their grassroots marketing in the early days
How one thing they nailed from the beginning is having a unique voice.

(0:00) Introduction

(1:35) being on the forefront of millennial media companies

(6:08) the power of email marketing

(8:35) the early days and bootstrapping

(14:07) Not fitting the silicon valley mold

(17:34) the co-founder relationship

(23:11) Leadership styles and growing a company

(29:31) Prioritizing growth

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Where gut health meets hypergrowth with Ben Goodwin from Olipop

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 14:38:01 -0000

Gut health might be having a moment on TikTok but Ben Goodwin the co-founder and CEO of Olipop knows first hand the monumental impact a healthy microbiome can have on your mental and physical health. Today on Found. Becca and Dom are joined by Ben to talk about how he led the gut-healthy soda brand to amass $200 million in gross sales just five years after their launch.

They also talked about:

How the team prioritizes access to the product in low-income areas and food deserts
Fundraising and pitching to CPG investors
The importance of health and wellness companies to do research to back up their products claims
The key to changing consumer behavior

(0:00) Introduction and two truths and a lie

(2:12) Olipop introduction

(5:42) Researching the microbiome

(11:34) The industrial diet in America

(15:03) Transitioning from research to product development

(17:49) Product nostalgia and marketing

(20:29) Market share in the beverage industry

(23:26) Olipop’s 200 million dollar year

(25:44) Targeting food deserts

(27:36) Time management as CEO

(31:06) Fundraising and pitching investors

(33:32) What’s next

(36:03) Host commentary

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Taking a DTC brand to IRL stores with Gabi Lewis from Magic Spoon

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:35:44 -0000

Grab your spoon and a carton of milk because today on Found we’re talking to Magic Spoon co-founder and CEO Gabi Lewis. Magic Spoon creates cereal flavors that play on our nostalgia for Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs with a grown-up high-protein twist. Dom and Becca talk with Gabi about how he and his co-founder prioritized product-market fit and found investors who didn’t think cereal was dead. They also talked about:

What Gabi learned from his previous startup Exo which made cricket-protein bars and how he’s changing his leadership style at Magic Spoon
Transitioning from being a solely DTC brand to in-store retailer and how he’s learned to manage buyer relationships and store-to-store drama.
How meticulously they develop new cereals and how they’ve incorporated customer feedback.

(0:00) Welcome Gabi Lewis

(1:45) Magic Spoon TLDR

(3:38) Innovating in the food industry

(11:40) Managing DTC and IRL retail

(24:00) Acquisitions and competition

(28:15) Entrepreneurship, product development, and leadership evolution

(35:32) Outro with Becca and Dom

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Lessons from 20 years in the language learning business with Markus Witte from Babbel

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 14:47:32 -0000

On today’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca talk to Markus Witte, co-founder of Babbel, a language learning app that had been operating since 2007. Babbel has become one of the most prominent language-learning apps but their first product was essentially just a vocab game and they quickly discovered that a multi-modal way of learning will always be more effective. Markus also talked about why he decided to step down as CEO and take on the role of chairman and how all four co-founders have worked together to stick to the original mission of Babbel even after nearly 20 years.

They also talked about:

Being a very early adopter of a subscription business model
The struggles of fundraising in Berlin in 2008 and how to operate intentionally lean
How the company has implemented AI tools back when AI was still machine learning.
Building a team that is deeply rooted to the original mission and how Markus developed the skills of an empathetic leader

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Scaling the freemium model with Alex Zaccaria from Linktree

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:42:30 -0000

This week Found is going down under. New Zealand-based TechCrunch reporter Rebecca Bellan talked with Alex Zaccaria the co-founder and CEO of Linktree about how they've scaled the freemium model to grow the social media reference landing page startup. Alex also talked about the challenges and benefits of fundraising internationally, the upside to raising in a more difficult climate, and how they see Linktree changing the way creators curate content for their audiences.

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What we learned from a year of talking to founders

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 14:00:00 -0000

Welcome to a very special host-only episode of Found. Dom and Becca are breaking down 2023 in startups by looking back on some of our favorite conversations and looking forward to predict some startup trends in 2024. They talked about innovative climate tech companies, AI ethics and fundraising, building good founder relationships, and what next year could look like for startups. Thanks to all our listeners for an amazing year, we’ll see you in 2024!

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Making justice more accessible with Charlie Hernandez from My Pocket Lawyer

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 14:00:00 -0000

This week’s episode is focused on Charlie Hernandez and his journey of building My Pocket Lawyer, an online platform that is meant to democratize access to legal advice and guidance for those that might not be able to afford a lawyer. Hernandez talked about why he decided to put his law degree to use to tackle this problem. He also talked about:

How My Pocket Lawyer uses AI to curate publicly available legal documents for its users
Why a startup is a better approach to tackle this problem compared to a nonprofit or pro bono legal work
The feedback he’s gotten from potential customers and the legal industry

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Crowdfunding a cleaner mobile power solution with James Wagoner form Joule Case

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:51:55 -0000

This episode centers on James Wagoner, the co-founder and CEO of Joule Case, a startup that is creating a cleaner alternative to diesel generators. Wagoner talked about his journey to launching the company after the first company he, and his co-founder, started didn't survive the 2008 financial crisis. He also talked about:

Why they chose to raise money through equity crowdfunding and how that's worked out for them
What it has been like building in this new environment for cleantech
How he, and his co-founder, have successfully worked together since meeting freshman year of college

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Why does MasterClass work? with David Rogier from MasterClass

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:00:00 -0000

How MasterClass was able to land its notable names from the beginning
How the company has scaled after a disappointing launch
How MasterClass has adapted to its users needs during the pandemic and beyond

Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.

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Building for Medicaid's regulatory moment with Neil Batlivala from Pair Team

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:09:31 -0000

Medicaid is in its regulatory moment. Today we’re joined by Neil Batlivala from Pair Team, which is building the infrastructure that will help the most vulnerable populations get the clinical and social care they need through the Medicaid expansion. Dom and Becca talked to Neil about how his previous health tech experience lead him to start a company solely focused on connecting care facilities like food pantries and shelters to clinical training and care through Medicaid funding. They also talked about:

Why there is a gap in health tech to serve our most vulnerable communities
The regulatory issues that dictate the businesses growth and expansion to new states
How he thinks about doing well financially and doing good in the world

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.

Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.

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Owning the earscape market with Lisa Bubbers and Anna Harman from Studs

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:43:09 -0000

Studs co-founders and good friends Lisa Bubbers and Anna Harman want to own your ear piercings. They are helping Gen Z people and millennials create their dream earscape with piercing studios that are opening across the country. They talk with Becca and Dom about building and fundraising for a VC-backed brick and mortar business.They also talked about:

The importance branding has played in the success of Studs
How they pivoted during the COVID lockdowns to include a robust e-commerce option
The way that they think about planning their next city for expansion

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.

Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.

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Can sustainable FashionTech save the world?

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 17:39:00 -0000

Today on Found, we have something a little different and extra special for you. We’re bringing you two bonus conversations all about sustainability in fashion from TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. First up you’ll hear our very own Harri Weber sit down with three guests, Jim Ajioka from Colorifix, Beth Esponnette from unspun and Julie Willoughby from Circ. They are all powerhouses in sustainable fashion and they all happened to join Harri on the Sustainability Stage. Watch their full conversation here.

In part two, we have a great conversation between TechCrunch’s Morgan Sung and Jemima Bunbury from BLEND, which is a curated fashion app that is changing the way we shop online. They focus on impulse purchases, how to help customers develop their own style and, of course, how we can make it possible to stay trendy and shop sustainably.

Some topics they covered include:

Fixing the fashion supply chain so all the materials are created in a sustainable way
Helping consumers find products that will last
Enticing larger brands to shift to sustainable practices
Why a holistic approach to sustainable fashion is crucial when trying to eliminate waste in the industry

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Building digital infrastructure for developing countries with Nasrat Khalid from Aseel

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:30:19 -0000

On today’s episode, host Becca Szkutak is joined by our old friend Darrell Etherington to talk with Nasrat Khalid of Aseel. Aseel started as an ecommerce company making it possible for local artisans in Afghanistan to sell to customers across the world and has evolved into working in humanitarian aid delivering emergency food supplies to people in need in Afghanistan and Turkey.

They talk about:

How Aseel built a digital infrastructure that made it possible for artisans to sell to customers all over the world
How the company shifted from ecommerce to humanitarian aid when Afghanistan went into crisis
The struggle to get investment when the company is considered so high-risk
The ethical concerns that arise when your business focuses on the world’s most vulnerable populations

Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.
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What not to do when getting your grocery startup off the ground with Abhi Ramesh from Misfits Market

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:23:02 -0000

Launching an e-commerce startup in the grocery space is no small task. On today’s episode Becca and Dom are joined by Abhi Ramesh, the CEO and founder of Misfits Market, a grocery startup that sells surplus and unwanted produce directly to consumers who don’t mind funny-looking foods. They talk about how he started the company in his apartment handling every aspect from personally buying the unwanted produce from the farms, to storing the food, to packaging and shipping, all while running the website and trying to fundraise. He racked up six-figure credit card debt to fund the logistics-heavy startup before raising his first seed round — and that was just the first three months of the company.They also talked about:

The systemic issues that have created a massive amount of produce waste
Changing consumer behavior when shopping for food and how COVID helped their business
The lessons Ramesh learned after Misfits Markets acquired Imperfect Foods and what the next steps are for the company

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Adapting to the climate crisis with Jonas Torland from 7Analytics

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 14:28:18 -0000

Welcome back to Found, TechCrunch’s podcast that brings you the stories behind the startups. This week our hosts Becca Szkutak and Dom-Madori Davis talk with Jonas Torland from 7Analytics, a Norwegian company that has built a data platform that powers tools and products for sustainable risk management. Their models predict the water paths of floods which allow them to predict and map the damage.

They got into:

How to balance responsibilities between four founders
The difference between mitigation and adaptation startups and why it’s harder to raise in the adaptation space
The challenges and opportunities of a Norwegian company expanding to the U.S.
The important role startups are playing in fighting and adapting to climate change

Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.

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AI-driven gaming with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 16:32:19 -0000

This week we’re bringing you a conversation with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door, an AI-driven narrative game engine. This mini-episode recorded in person at TechCrunch Disrupt and Dom and Hilary get into how generative AI is changing online gaming, building a team of creatives, and fundraising in the gaming space.

Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity, and Chain Reaction.

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Solar-powered everything with Giovanni Fili of Exeger

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 13:01:35 -0000

This week’s episode features a conversation with Giovanni Fili, the founder and CEO of Exeger, a startup that creates flexible solar cells that can create electric energy off of any light condition. Fili talked about what it has been like devoting the last 15 years of his career to a company based on tech that hadn’t previously been proven to work. He talked about running a deep tech company as a non-technical founder and how he’s built a capital-intensive startup off of relatively little funding.

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Making wearable medical devices more patient-friendly with Professor Esther Rodriguez-Villegas from Acurable

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week, our old friend Darrell Etherington joins Becca Szkutak to talk with Professor Esther Rodriguez-Villegas from Acurable. Acurable is a medical device company that makes patient-friendly wearable devices that accurately diagnose and manage respiratory conditions at home. As a career-long academic, Rodriguez-Villegas never intended to be a founder until she learned about how the currently available medical devices made it extremely difficult to detect and treat diseases like sleep apnea and epilepsy. On this episode they talk about balancing academic research and running a company, how to scale a medical device startup, and how Acurable has spread to hospitals throughout the UK by just word of mouth.

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Live from TechCrunch Disrupt with cybersecurity trailblazer Window Snyder from Thistle Technologies

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 14:30:26 -0000

The Found team recorded this episode live from TechCrunch Disrupt. Dom and Becca sat down with Window Snyder, a trailblazer in the cybersecurity industry who has dedicated her decades-long career to ensuring the internet and our devices are secure. Snyder talked about why after years of working at companies like Apple, Microsoft, Fastly, and Square now was the right time to launch her startup, Thistle, which looks to build the security infrastructure needed to keep internet-connected smart devices safe.

They also covered:

The way her mother’s career as a programmer inspired her to learn how to code has a teenager
Why a core value of Thistle is making cyber security easy for developers
Her biggest challenge in fundraising was demonstrating that this is a problem that the rest of the industry recognizes that they're going to want to leverage these capabilities in order to improve the security of their products.

Check out the UpFlip Podcast where you get to unravel how great businesses are built, how they are run behind the scenes and how their success can be replicated. We think you'll love episode 79 where they featured this guest who transformed his passion for gardening into a $7.3 million-a-year venture. You can find the podcast on Youtube or where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Bootstrapping a space tech isn't easy with Bianca Cefalo from Space DOTS

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:00:00 -0000

On today’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca talk with Bianca Cefalo, CEO and co-founder of Space DOTS which is a space tech startup that makes testing materials in space cheaper and easier. This may sound a little far out but it is extremely difficult to validate new materials to be used in space. In this episode, Cefalo talks about how difficult it is to bootstrap a deep tech company, the challenges of testing materials in space, and how she leads their growing team.

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Taking learnings from working at Amazon to clean beauty with Jaleh Bisharat from NakedPoppy

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 14:28:10 -0000

https://nakedpoppy.com/

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Using AI to talk to trees with Graham Hine from ePlant

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 15:13:05 -0000

This episode is centered on Graham Hine, the co-founder and CEO of ePlant, a startup that creates sensors that monitor the health of trees. Hine talked about what got him interested in the tree space to begin with and what it was like transitioning to being a founder after working for years at a startup founded by his brother. Hine also talked about why the company decided to launch both B2B and consumer strategies and the wide breadth of potential use cases for the tech.

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A social platform to map the way we think with Ida Josefiina from Sane

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 15:19:15 -0000

Have you ever thought about all of the experiences, shows, books, people, places, and other pieces of media that have all been mixed together to make your unique personality and interests? Do you think you could build a multi-media map to visually show all of these elements? On today’s episode of Found, the co-founder and CEO of Sane, Ida Josefiina is explains how they’re breaking social networking as we know it to find a solution for collective reasoning and even mitigate existential risk.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Josefiina accidentally became an entrepreneur in the tech industry
Why New York is the best place for a company like Sane and the argument for having an in-person work culture.
How spatial mapping can visually represent the way we think to better explain difficult concepts.

Today’s episode dives into the mind of Ida Josefiina, the co-founder and CEO of Sane, a social knowledge-sharing platform. Josefiina talked about how her foray into existentialist ideas and the power of collective intelligence put her on a journey to start this company. She spoke about how she thinks about hiring for the mission-driven company and how it could scale. Plus, she talked about why she doesn’t consider Sane to be a social media platform.

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Enabling equitable cancer prevention with Feyi Ayodele from CancerIQ

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:50:11 -0000

This week’s episode is focused on Feyi Ayodele, the co-founder and CEO of CancerIQ, a precision health company designed for physicians to help their patients with monitoring cancer risk and prevention. Ayodele talked about she came up with the startup idea while hiking Mount Kilimanjaro with her mother. She also talked about how she approached fundraising as a former VC herself and what it was like selling CancerIQ to healthcare organizations and hospitals.

Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast and Chain Reaction.

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Fifteen years in and still early to the industry with Marco Zappacosta from Thumbtack

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This episode centers on Marco Zappacosta, the co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack, a startup that runs a marketplace for home services and beyond. Zappacosta talked about his unusual path to entrepreneurship which included almost getting a degree in neuroscience before deciding to start a company without having an existing idea. He also talked about growing Thumbtack through multiple market cycles and his mindset around leadership.

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Bringing VR to IRL classrooms with Anurupa Ganguly Prisms

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week’s episode focuses on Anurupa Ganguly, the founder at CEO at Prisms, a startup designing VR math curriculum for middle and high school students. Ganguly talked about how her time as a teacher in the Boston and New York City public school systems were early inspirations for the company. She also talked about what it has been like selling to schools and her take on company culture in relation to remote and hybrid work.

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Educating VCs on your lived experience with Rebecca Rosenberg from ReBokeh

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This episode focuses on ReBokeh, a startup that created an app that applies filters that allow people with low vision to see better. The founder and CEO Rebecca Rosenberg talked about how her own experience with having low vision inspired the product and what it was like building the startup as an undergrad when everything went remote in 2020. She also spoke about how the app will likely have multiple revenue streams and what it was like pitching the product to VCs who didn’t believe the disability Rebecca has even exists.

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Where data meets DEI with Mandy Price from Kanarys

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week’s episode features a conversation with Mandy Price, the co-founder and CEO at Kanarys, a SaaS startup that helps companies tackle their diversity and inclusion problems with data. Mandy talked about why she started the company after a decade-long career as a lawyer. She also talked about why she didn’t want Kanarys to just be focused on hiring metrics, as many other DEI platforms are, and when the company decided to start building out its sales team after years of inbound interest.

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What to do when customers say yes but VCs say no with Catherine Tabor from Sparkly

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week’s episode features a conversation with Catherine Tabor, the founder and CEO of Sparkfly, a company that helps brands with marketing and customer engagement. Tabor talked about building a company fluid enough to adapt to changing technology trends over the last decade and how she was dismissed by venture capitalists despite landing notable customers. Plus, she talked about her leadership style and why she has a 1:1 meeting with every employee once a quarter.

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Growing a startup banking alternative while the banking sky is falling with Immad Akhund from Mercury (Equity Interview)

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0000

As a founder, you’ve got to be ready for anything, but nothing could have prepared Mercury CEO and founder Immad Akhund for the rapid growth his company experienced after the SVB bank crisis. We’re mixing it up this week and sharing an interview from our sister podcast, Equity. TechCrunch fintech reporter Mary Ann Azevedo talks with Akhund about how they onboarded a record number of startup customers and helped guide their current users through the SVB bank crash, how he thinks about fundraising and investing during this downturn, and how he thinks about standing out against competitors like Brex.

Becca and Dom will be back next week with an interview with Catherine Tabor from Sparkly.

Be sure to check out the Eye on AI. You can find them at https://pod.link/1438378439 or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eyeonai3425.

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Farmers use tech too with Charles Baron from Farmers Business Network

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week’s episode features Charles Baron, the co-founder and CMO at Farmers Business Network (FBN), a startup that offers a suite of online services to farmers. Baron talked about what led him — a former venture capitalist — to want to build in the agtech space. He talked about why the company chose to expand into multiple verticals quickly and how big of a need there was for what FBN offers.

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Still, sparkling, or made from the air? with Reuben Vollmer and Tyler Breton from Spout

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 15:53:02 -0000

On today’s episode, we hear from the founders of Spout, a startup that makes a device that can pull fresh drinking water out of the air. Co-founder Reuben Vollmer talked about trying and failing to get the company off the ground for years before meeting his co-founder Tyler Breton. Both talked about how important getting the design of the product right is and how big of a need there is for a product like Spout.

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Building a map of the U.S. healthcare system with Web Sun from Komodo Health

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:55:00 -0000

This week’s episode features Web Sun, the co-founder and president of Komodo Health, a startup that uses data to create a comprehensive map of the U.S. healthcare system. Web talked about what drove him to entrepreneurship and how mutual friends introduced him to his co-founder thinking they’d get along — little did they know. He also talked about navigating fundraising during the bull market and layoffs. Plus, Becca and Dom talk about their remaining questions after the interview.

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Mitigating AI biases in healthcare with Amy Brown from Authenticx

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:00:00 -0000

This week we hear from Amy Brown, the co-founder and CEO of Authenticx, a Midwestern startup that helps insurance companies and medical organizations extract data from their call centers using AI. Amy told Becca and Dom about how her background working in the same call centers inspired her to foray into entrepreneurship. She also talked about the sacrifices and very human side of being an entrepreneur and how they were very intentional when building their AI model.

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Curing physician burnout with Eli Ben-Joseph from Regard

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:00:00 -0000

On this week's episode, Dom and Becca are joined by Eli Ben-Joseph, the co-founder and CEO of Regard, a startup that uses AI to streamline the clinical side of medicine that's hoping to reduce physician burnout. Eli talked about his journey from deciding to forgo attending medical school because of the very issue he then decided to build a company to fix years later. He also talked about why it was important for them to build an AI model that requires a human touch and what it is like to sell to hospitals.

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The academic to founder pipeline with Dr. Stacy Blain from Concarlo Therapeutics

Tue, 30 May 2023 15:00:00 -0000

On today’s episode, Becca and Dom chat with Dr. Stacy Blain, the co-founder and chief science officer at Concarlo Therapeutics. Blain talked about how she had been researching how to cure drug-resistant cancers before she accidentally found her way into entrepreneurship after her academic grants started getting denied. She also talked about why scientists make great founders and how the importance of the company’s mission is not lost on her

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Digital Nomads need insurance too with Sarah Sandnes from SafetyWing

Tue, 23 May 2023 15:59:30 -0000

This week, Becca and Dom are joined by Sarah Sandnes, the co-founder and CTO of SafetyWing, which is creating a global safety net for remote workers. Sandnes is a digital nomad herself, so she understands the frustrations of frequently crossing borders and how difficult it can be to find affordable and high-quality health insurance as an employee. She also talked about how she and her co-founders have built a fully remote company that spans almost the entire globe -- because even digital nomads deal with time-zone frustrations.

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Motherhood, mentorship, and management with Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan from Samooha

Tue, 16 May 2023 17:27:34 -0000

This week Becca and Dom are joined by Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, the co-founder and CEO at Samooha, a startup creating the infrastructure needed for data collaboration. Kamakshi talked about what it is like being a repeat founder in a male-dominated technical field. She talked about juggling being a parent and a company leader and how she thinks being a mother makes her a better entrepreneur. Plus, she talked about what may be the wildest startup acquisition story we’ve heard yet.

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Boxed wine can be bougie with Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher from Juliet

Tue, 09 May 2023 15:09:51 -0000

Exciting news this week! Dominic-Madori Davis is joining Becca Szkutak as Found’s newest co-host. Say hi to her in a review or tweet us @found.

In this week’s episode, we are talking with the co-founders who are reimagining boxed wine. Boxed wine hasn’t typically been thought of as aesthetically pleasing or particularly delicious, but Juliet co-founders Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher, are on a mission to change that. According to the co-founders, glass bottles serve nothing but tradition and are a sustainability nightmare. So they dove into rebranding boxed wine with their elevated design and carefully selected profiles.

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Filling in the learning disability assessment gaps with Stefan Bauer from Marker Learning

Tue, 02 May 2023 14:00:00 -0000

Getting diagnosed with a learning disability or attention disorder is crucial to getting students the support they need to be successful in the classroom, however, the assessments are extremely cost and time prohibitive. This week on Found Darrell and Becca are talking with Stefan Bauer about how Marker Learning is cutting the cost of learning disability assessments by conducting them remotely, how they’ve successfully worked with school districts to help them test their required amount of students, and the potential to take Marker Learning into the prison system to assess incarcerated people and provide them with tools to learn in a way that’s better suited to their abilities.

We also say goodbye to Darrell as a regular host of Found this week, but don’t worry you can still catch him every Friday on The TechCrunch Podcast!

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Found Live: Shifting from founder to VC with Russ Wilcox from E Ink and Pillar VC

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:00:00 -0000

We’re coming at you live from TechCrunch’s Early Stage in Boston. Darrell and Becca are joined onstage by Russ Wilcox who founded E Ink and is currently a partner at Pillar VC. They discussed how Russ navigated multiple economic downturns and eventually sold E Ink to Amazon, why he made the change from Founder to VC, and how he can usually tell within the first two minutes of a meeting if he will invest.

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Curing disease with CRISPR with Trevor Martin from Mammoth Biosciences

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 12:59:39 -0000

Welcome back to Found, the TechCrunch podcast where you hear the stories behind the startups from the entrepreneurs themselves. In this week’s episode, Trevor Martin co-founder of Mammoth Biosciences comes on to discuss how the company is using CRISPR systems to detect and cure genetic diseases. He talks with Darrell and Becca about using the importance of transparency when creating innovative medical technology, using CRISPR to build therapies that will help patients in the real world, and what funding looks like for a company that has a long road to profitability.

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Found is nominated for a Webby

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:33:28 -0000

We’re thrilled to be nominated for a Webby award in the Best Technology Podcast category. You can help Found win by voting here. Voting closes April 20.

Building a startup is hard in any market and there is no right way to do it. You can rely on Found to get the real stories behind the startups and hear from entrepreneurs about how they’ve grown their companies and the choices they’ve made along the way.

Recently, we’ve had an awesome lineup of startups on the show, from Swedish fintech giant Klarna, to the company looking to bring the wooly mammoth back to life, to a woman-founded perfume company that just launched its first products — and everything in between.

Found is produced by Maggie Stamets with editing from Kell. Subscribe to found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the latest episodes, and please leave us a review if you like what you hear.

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Rebranding egg donation with Lauren Makler from Cofertility

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 16:13:33 -0000

On today’s episode, Lauren Markler comes on to talk about how her company Cofertility aims to rebrand egg donation by making the process less transactional and much more affordable. She talks with Darrell and Becca about scaling while maintaining a personal touch, building a company remotely, fand inding cofounders that align on the company mission and prioritizing motherhood while building a company.

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Getting people to try new things IRL with Sarah Peterson from The Nudge

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:00:00 -0000

This week Becca is joined by special guest co-host TechCrunch reporter Amanda Silberling to talk with Sarah Peterson, COO and co-founder ofTthe Nudge which is a text-based app that helps you make the best plan in your city. They get into the benefits of a sibling/co-founder relations, how to build trust with a user, and why everyone needs that planner friend in the friend group.

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Building Generative AI before it was cool with Angela Hoover from Andi

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:32:02 -0000

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Angela Hoover, CEO and co-founder of Andi, a generative AI search chatbox company. Angela and our hosts talk about building in generative AI before Chat GPT made it cool, how she went from working in construction to starting an artificial intelligence company, and how the Andi team plans to use the momentum in the AI space to reach their next goals.

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Making more mammoths with Ben Lamm from Colossal

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:00:00 -0000

Ben Lamm is no stranger to starting an interesting company but Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company is definitely the most sci-fi startup we’ve seen yet. This week on Found he talks with Darrell and Becca about what bringing back the infamous Wholly Mammoth means for conservation, how they secured VC funding despite being a long way away from profitability, and why they structure the company like a typical SaaS startup.

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How Gen Z builds community with Teddy Solomon from Fizz

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 16:22:11 -0000

Welcome back to Found, the TechCrunch podcast where you hear the stories behind the startups from the entrepreneurs themselves. This week we’re talking to Teddy Solomon, the co-founder of Fizz, a social media app aimed at college students focusing on building community on campus. For this interview, we’re joined by TechCrunch social media expert, Amanda Silberling. Darrell, Amanda, and Teddy discuss what Gen Z is looking for in their social media, how to thoroughly moderate the platform, and how this kind of community building could go far beyond colleges.

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Talking trash with Matt Roger from Mill

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:00:00 -0000

While working on developing the iPhone and then going on to co-found Nest, Matt Rogers became an expert in changing consumer behavior on a mass scale by creating products that seamlessly fit into everyday life. In his newest venture, he’s turned his sights to solving food waste starting in the kitchen. Mill sends customers a trash can that dries and shrinks kitchen scraps so they can be sent back to be used for animal feed. In this episode, Matt, Darrell, and Becca talk about thinking through every part of the customer experience from packaging to sending back their food waste, why he prefers starting a company to investing in one, and what decisions he thinks defined his previous companies.

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Bonus Episode: Say Hello to the Startup Battlefield Winner

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 15:00:00 -0000

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—the winner is announced! In this episode, we get to know the winner of the 2022 Startup Battlefield competition. We’ll hear what’s next for their company and get insight from TechCrunch staff, VCs, and audience members on why they were the right choice.

Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast.

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Augmenting creativity with Alice Albrecht from Re:collect (re-release)

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:32:46 -0000

Last year when we talked to Alice Albrecht from Re:collect, the Found team couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities of a tool like Re:collect, so we're sharing this episode again. Re:collect is a software tool that augments creativity by helping people focus, recall, and connects their ideas. The conversation covered a lot of ground from how to hone your pitch when your product is so cerebral, how technology can help creativity but Alice argues will never replace it, and how developing AI requires building safeguards from the jump.

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Bonus Episode: Getting to know the Battlefield 200

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:00:00 -0000

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode three. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—the winner is announced! In this episode, we get to know the winner of the 2022 Startup Battlefield competition. We’ll hear what’s next for their company and get insight from TechCrunch staff, VCs, and audience members on why they were the right choice.

New episodes of Inside Startup Battlefield drop every Monday. Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast..

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Modernizing 911 calls with Michael Chime from Found

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:33:33 -0000

Michael Chime, the co-founder and CEO of Prepared, is leading the charge to modernize 911 calls by providing access to video and photos. Most people are calling in emergencies with their smartphones so the Prepared team is working to help dispatchers have all the data possible to relay to first responders. In today’s episode, they talk about implementing this new tech in an industry that’s slow to innovate, navigating privacy concerns when capturing and collecting videos of emergencies, and how he’s grown into the CEO role as the company has expanded.

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Bonus Episode: Making the Pitch Perfect

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 15:00:00 -0000

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode two. In the second episode of Inside Startup Battlefield, we take a trip to TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 to hear pitches from the top five companies: Aaron Hall from Intropic Materials, Elizabeth Lawler from App Map, Chad Mason from Advanced Ionics, Sheeba Dawood from Minerva Lithium, Tim Lichti from Swap Robotics. We get to know the companies and the unique problems they’re solving through their pitches and the judges’ follow-up questions. Plus we hear from our host and Battlefield Editor, Neesha Tambe, about what working with each company was like.

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Turning waste water into water that works with Alex Rappaport from ZwitterCo

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:09:24 -0000

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Alex Rappaport, the CEO and co-founder of ZwitterCo, a startup that develops technology that filters waste water. Alex talked about how his childhood on the Potomac river inspired his future career in clean water. He also talked about what it was like to build a commercial business off of existing lab research. Lastly, he talks about his fundraising journey and how amateur boxing injuries may have helped his pitch.

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Bonus Episode: The Startup Battlefield Basics

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:40:26 -0000

Check out the newest podcast from the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Inside Startup Battlefield, the four-part series that takes you behind TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition. In this episode, our host and Startup Battlefield Editor Neesha Tambe breaks down how the Battlefield companies are selected for the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. Then we take a deep dive into what makes a pitch perfect with pitch coach and TechCrunch writer Haje Jan Kamps and Startup Battlefield judge and VC Nisha Dua. You’ll also hear from: Julia Somerdin from Labby, Young-Jae Kim and Tara Peters from Anthill, Quddus Pativada from Digest AI, Blessing Adesiyan from Mother honestly, Hikari Senju from Omneky, Mitch Tolson from Ally robotics, Elizabeth Lawler from App map, Aaron Hall from Intropic materials. Sheeba Dawood from Minerva.

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Disrupting beauty's last frontier with Keta Burke-Williams from Ourside

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 17:00:00 -0000

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Ourside founder and CEO Keta Burke-Williams. They get into what it takes to innovate in a historically luxury industry, the challenges of raising capital as a Balck female solo founder with a consumer startup and, most importantly, how many solid colognes Darrell travels with.

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Avoiding the pitfalls of OnlyFans with Rosie Nguyen from Fanhouse

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:50:05 -0000

Rosie Nguyen (or JasmineRiceGirl as her fans know her) is the co-founder and CMO of PG-13ish content-creating platform Fanhouse. In this episode, Rosie talks with Darrell and Becca about her sometimes-scary experiences creating content on Twitch and OnlyFans that inspired the Fanhouse founding team to build a safer place for creators to monetize their content, how having a creator as a co-founder helped with their fundraising process, and how she balances being a first-time founder with building her community.

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Being the steady hand in market uncertainty with Sebastian Siemiatkowski from Klarna

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 17:00:00 -0000

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Klarna’s Co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski to talk about how the company is expanding beyond by now pay later space to become a neobank. Sebastian walks us through his European startup journey, breaking into the US market, how the importance of calm leadership through a market downturn, and what’s next for Klarna.

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Modernizing the live music industry with Mir Hwang from GigFinesse

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:05:29 -0000

Mir Hwang is the co-founder and CEO of GigFinesse. Mir talks about how his struggles to book music gigs as a teenager pushed him to launch the company that connects artists with venues for live shows. Mir also talked about how hard it was to steer the live music-focused business through the pandemic in an industry that was reticent to adopt tech to begin with. Plus, we learn about a fun venue that couldn't be more perfect for Darrell's future poetry residence.

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Solving the looming lithium shortage with Sheeba Dawood from Minerva Lithium

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 16:48:15 -0000

This week we’re mixing it up on Found and welcoming special guest cohost, Neesha Tambe, the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Editor. And we happen to be talking with Sheeba Dawood, the co-founder and CEO of Minerva Lithium—the 2022 Startup Battlefield winner. Minerva Lithium is a clean energy technology that has developed a Nano Mosaic membrane filter system for critical materials extraction from non-traditional water resources. In this conversation, Sheeba speaks candidly about the struggles she’s faced as a woman of color trying to innovate in the mineral manufacturing industry and what’s next for the company coming off of several pitch competition wins.

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Two CEOs are better than one with Henrique Dubugras from Brex

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 17:26:03 -0000

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Brex co-founder and co-CEO Henrique Dubugras to chat about his corporate credit card and expense management startup. Henrique talked about what made him and his co-founder (Pedro Franceschi) decide to launch the company and why the friends, who met online as teenagers, decided to be co-CEOs. Henrique also talks about how Brex navigated changes at the startup this year, and how he personally handled layoffs, all while Darrell and Becca do a questionable job of hiding their disdain for Brex’s legacy competitor.

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Checking back in with a few favorite founders (re-release)

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:00:00 -0000

Happy holidays! The found crew is taking a week off to relax so we are throwing it back to our anniversary episode.

To celebrate our anniversary, we welcomed back four founders whose stories really stuck with us since we talked to them. In what Jordan called a “founder smoothie”, we talked with Brie Code from TRU LUV who was on our second episode, Earl Cole from SMART Tire Company who was on the following episode, as well as Aditi Shekar from Zeta, and Jelani Memory from A Kids Company About who joined us a few months later. They talk about perspective shifts they’ve experienced in the past year, their different takes on fundraising, and how they stay true to their respective core missions.

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Augmenting creativity with Alice Albrecht from re:collect

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:00:00 -0000

Welcome back to found, the Stories behind the startups. This week co-hosts Darrell Etherington and Becca Szkutak talk with Alice Albrecht from Re:collect, a software tool that augments creativity by helping people focus, recall, and connect their ideas. The conversation covered a lot of ground from how to hone your pitch when your product is so cerebral, how technology can help creativity but Alice argues will never replace it, and how developing AI requires building safeguards from the jump.

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Trusting your gut microbiome with Cheryl Sew Hoy from Tiny Health

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 16:34:46 -0000

Take our listener survey for a chance to win a free year of TC+ at bit.ly/tcpodsurvey.

When Ceryl Sew Hoy had her first child, she discovered the importance of the infant gut microbiome. As a research-driven entrepreneur, she learned everything she could about gut health and how to help infants avoid the chronic health issues that occur if they don’t receive the essential microbiomes from the mother. Tiny Health was started to fill a gap in OBGYN care and provide the first-ever gut health test for babies and toddlers along with educational materials needed to course correct and set up infants for optimal gut health. Darrell, Becca, and Cheryl also talk about being a product-focused founder, building customer trust, and Darrell’s constant tummy aches.

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Starting the tampon revolution with Valentina Milanova from Daye

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 17:29:35 -0000

We’re so excited to be back with new episodes of Found and to introduce you to our brilliant new co-host Becca Szkutak! In this episode, we talk with Valentina Milanova, the founder and CEO of Daye, a gynecological health company that’s working to close the gender pain gap and raise industry standards when it comes to women’s health products.

While researching menstrual pain relief and tampon manufacturing, Valentina found there was a shocking lack of innovation, research, and health and safety standards in gynecological products. So she started Daye and created the most absorbent organic tampon on the market and the only one that uses CBD to relieve menstrual pain that was designed with women in mind. Within the company, Valentina is infusing her values into every aspect of the business from implementing a 4-day work week to improve mental health to hiring survivors of human trafficking to work in their manufacturing centers. In this episode, we also touch on the challenges of fundraising when your product requires you to say “vaginal canal” at least once in your pitch, why Valentina will not be a serial entrepreneur, and why they don’t keep any tampon trade secrets.

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Tennis-star-turned-star-investor with Serena Williams from Serena Ventures

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0000

At last month’s TechCrunch Disrupt, Jordan sat down with Serena Williams and her co-founder Alison Rapaport Stillman to talk about their investment firm, Serena Ventures. The conversation was so interesting, we couldn’t help but share it on the Found feed. Serena, Allison, and Jordan talk about her approach to startup investing, how competitive she is both on and off the court, and how the French Open distracted her from the missed investment she regrets the most. And she shares how you can still expect to see her play tennis—if you’re able to snag an invite to come to her personal court.

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Taking construction projects into the cloud with Shanthi Rajan from Linarc

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:39:54 -0000

Shanthi Rajan is a career-long entrepreneur so when she realized the construction industry was in need of disruption, she was ready to build a solution. Linarc is a cloud-based construction management software that helps teams stay on track by centralizing the data to share meaningful information on timelines, budgets, and everything that keeps projects on track. In this episode, Darrell, Jordan, and Shanthi discuss breaking into a slow-changing industry, building a team with talent across the globe, and working with customers to build the most useful product possible.

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Providing virtual gender-affirming care with Jerrica Kirkley and Matthew Wetschler of Plume

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Telehealth startups had a boom during the pandemic and for certain marginalized communities not having to physically go onto a traditional doctor’s office allows them to access specialized high-quality care. That’s where this week’s guests come in. Jerrica Kirkley and Matthew Wetschler are the co-founders of Plume, a telehealth company that focuses on transgender care. After Jerrica spent time working in the non-profit world she realized that to enact the change she wanted to see, a VC-backed startup could be a more direct route. Along with providing great care, they’re also dedicated to combatting anti-trans legislation and gathering data on trans care that can help all physicians provide better holistic care. In this episode, they talk about their co-founder relationship, the importance of hiring a team that reflects the community they serve, and how they navigated fundraising in such a conservative environment.

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Making robots that make robots to take over the world with Scott Gravelle from Attatbotics

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 14:00:00 -0000

This week Darrell and Jordan talk with Scott Gravelle, the CEO and co-founder of Attabotics, a robotics company that specializes in distribution and supply chain. Scott talks about how he was inspired by the Cutter Ants to design a vertical warehouse and create an automated system that was not human-centric but instead functioned as a world that was great for robots. They also spoke about caring for mental health as a founder and developing new leadership skills for a virtual world.

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Delivering remote abortion care with Kiki Freedman from Hey Jane (Re-Release)

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 16:26:43 -0000

This time last year, we talked with Kiki Freedman the founder of Hey Jane, a virtual health care startup aimed at women with an initial focus on delivering remote abortion care. After the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, access to abortion is in a more precarious position than ever. Listen back to how Hey Jane provides access to consultations with doctors, available 24 hours a day, and home delivery for FDA-approved abortion pills. And Freedman tells us about how her experience at Uber informed her founder mentality at Hey Jane, and how the startup hopes to change the healthcare industry.

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Building the great pyramid of hybrid work with Phil Libin from mmhmm

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:55:05 -0000

When Phil Libin co-founded Evernote he spent tons of money making the perfect working environment with chic offices, a shuttle bus, and headphones to block out all of his employees' distracting co-workers. He’s since seen the work-from-home light and co-founded mmhmm to make working remotely more efficient and even more fun. In this episode, Phil breaks down his pyramid of communication, explains how embracing asynchronous videos changed everything about meetings at mmhmm, and why he will never go to work in the metaverse.

If you love live conversations with founders, you'll love TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco from October 18-20. Use code FOUND for 15% off your ticket.

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Bonus: Catching up with Kathy Hannun from Dandelion Energy

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 22:19:20 -0000

Welcome back to another bonus episode of Found. This week, producer Maggie catches up with Kathy Hannun from Dandelion Energy. Since we last talked, Dandelion’s team has grown, and through a new deal, their heat pumps are being installed in brand-new housing developments along with their retrofit business. Kathy and Maggie talk about this growth, how Kathy has found joy in her job again by stepping into the head of product role, and how the economic downturn has been a reminder to prioritize profitability.

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Brainstorming your way into entrepreneurship with Amar Shah and Sonia Nigam from Change

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:00:00 -0000

After graduating college, co-founders Amar Shah and Sonia Nigam were bored with at their first ”real jobs” so through trial and error they came up with the idea to develop an API that processes donations called Change. They talk with Darrell and Jordan about getting their first customers by literally knocking on shop doors, growing the company while maintaining the close-knit culture, and why incorporating crypto payments was a key part of their growth.

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How do you build a company towards a $20B exit? with Dylan Field from Figma

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:02:32 -0000

We spoke to Figma founder and CEO Dylan Field earlier this year, and while we didn’t know at the time that the startup would be entering into a deal to be acquired by Adobe for north of $20 billion, the lessons that Field shared around his journey building Figma and bringing on the right investors are definitely extra resonant now that the acquisition has been announced. Please enjoy this ‘greatest hit’ in light of the news!

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Expanding the boundaries of health care with Kelsey Mellard from Sitka

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:36:19 -0000

We talk to a lot of healthtech founders on this show because there are countless ways the healthcare system, particularly in the US, needs to be disrupted. This week, we talked to Kelsey Mellard who founded Sitka with the goal of implementing value-based care and helping primary care physicians make more thoughtful referrals to specialists. She talks with Darrell and Jordan about playing the long game to change how people receive care in the US and incentivize providers to give high-quality care instead of a high volume of care.

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Found Live: From Selling Sunset to crypto real estate with Christine Quinn and Christian Dumontet

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 16:14:32 -0000

This week on Found Live Darrell and special guest host, Anita Ramaswamy, talk to Christine Quinn who you probably know from Selling Sunset and her husband Christian Dumontet about their new company RealOpen. The couple talks about why buying a home using crypto is the real estate of the future, how to balance being co-founders, and parents, and maintain their relationship, and yes Christine talks a bit about her time on Selling Sunset.

To hear more from Anita, listen to TechCrunch's Chain Reaction. If you love live conversations with founders, you'll love TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco from October 18-20. Use code FOUND for 15% off your ticket.

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Catching up with YC alum Hana Mohan from Magic Bell

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 13:51:07 -0000

In this mini-sode we catch up with one of the first founders we spoke to, Hana Mohan from MagicBell. Since we talked to Hana last, MagicBell’s business and team have grown and she talks to our producer Maggie about landing their first enterprise client, the importance of staying in touch with other YC founders and maintaining that community, and how she is continually re-learning the challenges of managing a growing team.

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Remembering the doctor's orders with Shiv Rao from Abridge

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0000

This week’s guest Shiv Rao founded Abridge after experiencing how unnerving it can be to go through a medical emergency with a loved one—even for a practicing doctor like him. So he and the Abridge team created an app that doesn’t just transcribe a conversation between doctor and patient but can summarize the important parts, pull out the next steps, and even define any medical terms that were said so the patient walks away with all the information they need. The same technology helps doctors take better notes and alleviate the “pajama time” burnout by recording what happened in the appointment and synthesizing it in a format that is useful to a doctor. Darrell, Jordan, and Shiv talk about the importance of making an impact at scale in the medical field.

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Building a revenge app with Jay Chandrasekhar from Vouch Vault

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Super Troopers premiered at Sundance to a receptive, giggling crowd but if you judged it based on its Rotten Tomato score and reviews, you’d think it flopped. Writer, director, comedian, and recent founder Jay Chandrasekhar never felt right about the critiques from random strangers online. So he set about creating Vouch Vault, an app in which friends can recommend media, restaurants, and products to each other and users can trust those reviews because they’re coming from people with similar tastes. He talks with Darrell and Jordan about using a Hollywood approach to funding a tech company and how he is thinking about changing user behavior.

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Bonus: The sea change in the entrepreneurial energy with the Equity Crew

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Darrell and Jordan joined the Equity crew to try to answer the questions: Despite all the dollars and deals out there, does a drop in activation energy change how many entrepreneurs we'll see in the early-stage market?

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SaaS-ifying air quality tracking with Davida Herzl from Aclima

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0000

We all have a right to clean air but chances are you aren’t getting accurate air quality data—Davida Herzl the co-founder and CEO of Aclima is looking to change that. In this episode, she talks with Jordan and Darrell about the struggles she faced trying to start a climate company right after the clean tech bubble burst, how she’s stayed laser-focused on her mission, and how working with state governments is paramount for her company and measuring air-quality at scale.

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Making the creator economy comic book friendly with Chris Giliberti from Zestworld

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 13:34:47 -0000

Comics are the foundation for so many movies, TV shows, and video games however creators still struggle to be fairly compensated for their material. Chris Giliberti founded Zestworld, a creator-centered platform that offers solutions for the artist to publish their work, manage commissioned artwork, and own their IP and licensing. In this episode Chris and Darrell nerd out about upcoming projects, the best ways to monetize digital custom art, and building a community online that feels like walking through your local comic book store. Jordan is also there, just not nerding out because she has yet to find the comic book for her.

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Bonus: Catching up with Iman Abuzeid from Incredible Health

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 18:33:54 -0000

Welcome to the first bonus episode of Found. In this mini-sode we catch up with the very first founder we had on, Iman Abuzeid from Incredible Health. Since we talked to Iman last, Incredible Health has experienced rapid growth and she talks to our producer Maggie about learning to scale after you’ve reached market fit and how they're using proprietary data to improve their product for the next generation of nurses.

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Facing the economic downturn with confidence (with Nikki Pechet)

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 15:00:13 -0000

Nikki Pechet and her co-founder started Homebound after a wildfire ripped through Northern California and thousands of people were put on years-long waiting lists to build their homes to make building a home simpler. On this episode, she talks with Darrell and Jordan about creating an online flow that makes buying a home almost too easy, how her experience at Thumbtack helped her think through the labor logistics, and why she isn’t nervous about the impending economic downturn.

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Carolyn Childers, Chief

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:44:09 -0000

On this episode of Found Live, Chief co-founder and CEO, Carolyn Childers, joins us to talk about leading a company that is focused on good leadership. AftAfter a transformative experience with another woman business leader who is now her co-founder, Carolyn wanted to create a product that would connect women at the VP and c-suite level with the kind of excellent mentorship she experienced while providing virtual and in-person spaces to develop community.

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Irving Fain, Bowery Farming

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Bowery Farms founder and CEO Irving Fain wants you to taste the best strawberry you’ve ever had, grown only a few miles from your urban home. As the leading and largest vertical farming company in the U.S, their goal is to make agriculture possible in urban spaces while also making it possible to grow a wide array of crops from anywhere in the world. Darrell and Jordan talk to him about how agtech companies all have a space in the fight against climate change, what led him to founding Bowery, and how they are innovating and scaling thoughtfully.

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Matt Mullenweg, WordPress (Automattic)

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 18:00:00 -0000

It’s rare we get to speak to someone who has been working at their company for 19 years so this conversation with Matt Mullenweg of Automattic and WordPress feels a little special. His journey to becoming a founder was grounded in a love for blogging and working on open source projects. Now WordPress is pretty much ubiquitous in the digital publishing world. He talks with Darrell and Jordan about how much different fundraising worked for him, how he has remained such an in-touch leader, and of course his thoughts on Web3.

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Christine Tao, Sounding Board

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 18:00:00 -0000

Christine Tao knows good leaders have good executive coaches. She founded Sounding Board to make it easier for companies to manage, scale, and measure leadership coaching on one unified platform. This week, she talks to Darrell and Jordan about difficulties she and her co-founder faced while fundraising and how they established the customer type that made scaling possible.

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Kathryn Cross, Anja Health

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Anja Health CEO and founder, Kathryn Cross, knows all too well that banking cord blood stem cells can be life. Anja Health’s mission is to make storing stem cells accessible to everyone– regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or income and she’s getting her message out in an unlikely space. The 23-year-old TikTok influencer turned founder is a staunch believer in the power of marketing on social media. In this episode, she walks Darrell and Jordan through how the different social channels can be helpful to founders in different industries and why she thinks every company will have to be its own influencer.

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Founder Double Feature

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:40:48 -0000

This week we talk to two founders who just came off stage from the TC Sessions: Mobility Pitch-Off. First up we have Eloa Guillotin the co-founder and CEO of Beyond Aero which is making long-range electric aircraft possible by using hydrogen-electric propulsion. Followed by Jim Gibbs, the co-founder and CEO of Meter Feeder which is on a mission to provide a low-cost payment and enforcement solution for small to mid-sized governments for parking through an API.

The winner of the pitch-off won their spot in the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 200. For more information on that or to get your ticket at techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2022/.

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Vivian Wang, Landed

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 13:39:26 -0000

Landed founder and CEO Vivian Wang is on a mission to connect blue-collar workers with high-quality job opportunities. Landed handles the hiring process from recruiting to vetting to setting up interviews and facilitating a feedback loop for the general managers to make their workplaces more desirable. They’re also improving employees' financial well-being by helping them upscale once they’ve landed the job. In the episode, Vivian talks about how COVID showed us all how essential blue-collar workers are and made apparent how underserved those workers are and how she plans to improve the experience in these jobs by helping them access pay quicker, build credit, and decrease turnover.

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Claire Coder, Aunt Flow

Tue, 31 May 2022 15:10:00 -0000

Claire Coder, founder and CEO of Aunt Flow joined us on Found Live. Darrell, Jordan, and Claire got into how she landed on a B2B model for Aunt Flow and the importance of free, accessible period products-- which is something she often has to educate prospective investors or customers on. Claire also opened up about how she has grown as a leader, learned to listen to feedback from her team, and improve the culture at Aunt Flow. And don't forget to hear from more founders from Columbus, Ohio tun into the TC City Spotlight on June 1 at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET. RSVP here.

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Anniversary Bonus: Founder Roundtable

Fri, 27 May 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Happy one year of Found! To celebrate our anniversary, we welcomed back four founders whose stories really stuck with us since we talked to them. In what Jordan called a “founder smoothie”, we talked with Brie Code from TRU LUV who was on our second episode, Earl Cole from SMART Tire Company who was on the following episode, as well as Aditi Shekar from Zeta, and Jelani Memory from A Kids Company About who joined us a few months later. They talk about perspective shifts they’ve experienced in the past year, their different takes on fundraising, and how they stay true to their respective core missions.

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Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau, Alchemy

Tue, 24 May 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Alchemy co-founders Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau were persistent in their search for the right startup idea. The duo that an investor once compared to cockroaches for their ability to survive , talk to Jordan and Darrell about building such a trusting founder relationship, staying ahead of their competition by working closely with their customers – Web3 designers, and how they’ve managed to more or less leave their venture capital dollars in the bank.

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Justin Intal, Forage

Tue, 17 May 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Justin Intal from Forage joined the Found crew live. He talks about how profound struggles in her personal life motivated him to create a way for online grocers to accept EBT and SNAP benefits. He also talked about the importance of vulnerability and transparency as a CEO. Each failure is learning, so he is not about hiding his past failed companies or ideas–in fact he has them written out on his Linkedin.

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Sassie Duggleby, Venus Aerospace

Tue, 10 May 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Sassie Duggleby is leading the team at Venus Aerospace to develop a spaceplane that could go from LA to Tokyo in an hour. As CEO, Sassie sets the tone that her team doesn’t have to adhere to the typical startup-up grind to solve some serious deeptech issues. She talks with Darrell and Jordan about honoring the company’s namesake–Venus, the goddess of love–and loving her customers and her employees well, all while working to bring the world closer together with greener, more efficient travel.

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Thor Fridriksson, Rocky Road Inc

Tue, 03 May 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Thor Fridriksson is, as Jordan calls him, the kind of mobile gaming. With mega-viral games like Trivia Royale and QuizUp, he knows the secret sauce to making a popular game, but the code he hasn’t cracked is how to make a super lucrative game. Thor joined us on Found Live to talk about the pitfalls of ads on mobile games, why the experience of playing will always be his number one priority, and what he has cooking with his next company Rocky Road Inc.

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Chris Webb, ChowNow

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0000

ChowNow started as a way for founder and CEO, Chris Webb and his friends to easily order from smaller local restaurants but 8 years later when COVID hit ChowNow became known as a restaurant-friendly alternative to some of the larger players in the space. They began ranking in the app store organically and getting a boost in users and customers. Chris talks with Darrell and Jordan about the” fast and steady” approach to building a lasting company and how to seize a moment when growth occurs.

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Help Us Win a Webby!

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 21:27:31 -0000

Found has been nominated for a Webby! Tomorrow is the last day to vote, so help us win by going to bit.ly/vote4found.

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Anthony DiMare, Bedrock

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Help us Win a Webby by voting for us here: bit.ly/vote4found

Today on Found we talk to Anthony DiMare, the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock, a company which has developed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to survey and map the seafloor in a much more efficient and affordable way than the traditional “big ship with a big sonar” method.Darrell, Jordan, and Anthony get into why seafloor exploration could be the answer to many problems on land like finding space to build offshore wind farms and how there is an untapped blue-centered economy. Plus Anthony talks about his on-the-ground leadership style and how he's learned to love the salesmanship part of his job.

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Dylan Field, Figma

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, started the company when he was 20 years old when he had no idea if anyone would see the value in making design a multiplayer game let alone that his company become the Google Docs of design. He chats with Darrell and Jordan about how his leadership style has evolved, how he handles the changing company culture as Figma grows, and how the nature of design has rapidly changed into the collaborative work it is now.

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Julia Cheek, Everly Health

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Everly Health founder and CEO Julia Cheek is taking steps to revolutionize healthcare by helping patients gain access to all kinds of medical testing and in doing so allowing providers to have the data they need to give the best care possible. Darrell and Jordan first met Julia at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2016 when she was a self-proclaimed “fish out of water”. On today’s episode, she talks about how she went from being a fresh first-time founder to a CEO and competent leader who has strategically acquired companies to create a holistic and vertically integrated home-testing company.

Don’t miss this week’s TechCrunch Live City Spotlight on Austin, Texas. RSVP: https://hopin.com/events/city-spotlight-austin

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Laura Crabtree, Epsilon3

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Space enterprise founder, Laura Crabtree, talks with Darrell and Jordan about starting Epsilon 3 and how they are helping companies across the space industry (and beyond) plan, track, and record their large projects and mission. They discuss their growing market fit, building relationships with your investors, and the benefits of having three founders.

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Shivani Siroya, Tala

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Found Live is back again with Shivani Siroya, CEO and founder of Tala, a fintech company that works with underestimated communities to build a financial system that works for everyone. While working at the UN, Siroya was working to understand progress out of poverty and discovered you need to understand where the money is being used. In this episode, she talks with Jordan and Darrell about how she took that information to start Tala, raise a $145 million series E, adjust and excel during the pandemic, lead with honesty and empathy, and continues to create a more equitable financial system.

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Matthew Wadiak, Cooks Venture

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Most people don’t spend much time thinking about where their poultry comes from, much less what it was eating when it was alive but the feeding practices on large farms are harmful to the environment and have led to bland, unhealthy chickens. Today’s guest, Matthew Wadiak is a chef and founder and CEO of Cooks Venture which is on a mission to create a new breed of broiler chicken that is more active, able to eat a varied diet, and tastier. Through restorative agriculture and selective breeding, the Cooks Venture farm in Arkansas has bred chickens that are more heat resistant and can eat a variety of grains. As a chef and former co-founder of Blue Apron, Wadiak views it as his duty to try to change the food system for the better.

Watch the Cooks Venture video about planting 20,000 Hazelnut trees in partnership with RAD.

Don’t miss the next live episode with Shivani Siroya from Tala on 3/17 at 10pm PT/ 1pm ET. RSVP: https://hopin.com/events/found-live-mar17

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Toyin Ajayi, Cityblock

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 13:00:00 -0000

On Found Live Darrell and Jordan got to chat with Cityblock co-founder and president, Toyin Ajayi. CItyblock provides primary care, behavioral health, and social care to folks who have been historically marginalized in the healthcare system, primarily people who are receiving their health insurance through Medicaid with the goal of providing high-quality holistic care at a lower cost. They do this through a network of physicians, community outreach teams, and by working with insurance providers. While Dr. Ajayi was working in a hospital system she became frustrated by the systemic issues that were sending the same patients back to the hospital time and time again. So she began experimenting with ways to extend her care like giving out her cell phone number, making house calls, being available to explain medications. That idea grew into Cityblock where that level of personalized care is scaled. They talked about the healthcare system, how providers can improve care, Toyin’s spicy TechCrunch Disrupt panel, and answered a few audience questions.

Don’t miss the next live episode with Shivani Siroya from Tala on 3/17 at 10pm PT/ 1pm ET. RSVP: https://hopin.com/events/found-live-mar17

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Michelle You, Supercritical

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:14:19 -0000

Michelle You, co-founder and CEO of Supercritical, is on a mission to help companies get to net-zero but she refuses to sacrifice her personal life for the startup. Michelle talks with Darrell and Jordan about how motherhood has eased her imposter syndrome, the “scar tissue” she had from a tough exit of her first startup, why the planet needs more effective carbon removal methods now, and how she’s using those learnings as a second-time founder.

Don't miss Found Live with Toyin Ajayi from CityBlock this Thursday (3/3) at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET. RSVP: https://hopin.com/events/found-live-mar3

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Found Live ft Jordan Taylor and Edith Cooper, Medley

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0000

Listen in to the first-ever episode of Found Live. We were joined by the mother-daughter duo Jordan Taylor and Edith Cooper who co-founded Medley—a group coaching platform focusing on personal and professional growth. They talked with Jordan and Darrell about what it’s like to start a business with a family member amidst a pandemic, what it takes to foster community in a virtual space, and the importance of vulnerable, honest communication. Those who joined us live were able to participate in the conversation in real-time. If you missed this live episode, don’t worry, we’re going live on Hopin every other Thursday. On March 3, Toyin Ajayi from Cityblock will join the found crew at 10am Pt/ 1pm ET

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Sunil Paul, Spring Free EV

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0000

RSVP for Found Live. Don’t miss your chance to listen to episodes found early and interact with Darrell, Jordan, and their guests. On February 17th at 10am PT/ 1pm ET, Thor Fridriksson will be talking about his experience launching two viral games and founding his new company Rocky Road.

When serial founder turned venture capitalist Sunil Paul decided to step back into startups, it was only after trying to give the idea behind his fintech company Spring Free EV away for over a decade. The idea is simple, bring down the initial cost of electric vehicles by charging owners a fee per mile. And after the wildfires in California lead to what he called the "orange sky day" he knew he had to figure out a way to do more to address the climate crisis by making EVs more accessible to the people who drive the most in the US. He joins Darrell and Jordan to talk about the end of the world, recruiting as a climate-focused fintech, fundraising, and of course Canada came up a few times too.

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Spring Free EV

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Kentaro Kawamori, Persefoni

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0000

This week, Persefoni co-founder and CEO, Kentaro Kawamori is joining us this week not only to talk about his climate tech startup that aims at helping asset managers, banks and other financial institutions measure their financial emissions footprint and purchase offsets. But he is also sharing his spicey takes on the fundraising landscape and what he thinks stands the best chance of combatting the climate crisis. Darrell, Jordan and Kentaro get into the importance of building the team that’s a perfect fit for the industry you’re disrupting and the Web3 company “Holy Smokes” they’re all launching together.

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Elizabeth Ruzzo, adyn

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0000

We’re in the business of talking to very impressive people who are working to solve incredibly tough problems— but Elizabeth Ruzzo, founder and CEO of adyn, may be one of the most impressive yet. Not only did she develop the only test for women to ensure they are prescribed the birth control that will be the least likely to have detrimental side effects, she also founded the company and fundraised as the sole employee of the company. She talks to Darrell and Jordan about the challenges she faced as a solo founder/employee raising money for a solution for birth control, why she decided to leave academia, and the complicated regulatory maze she had to navigate to get adyn off the ground.

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Julian Green, Headroom

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0000

We’re talking to serial founder Julian Green whose most recent startup, Headroom is using AI to hack human conversation—starting with meetings. Julian’s goal is to make meetings and virtual communication feel closer to talking in the real world. Come to hear a very smart founder talk about his experience, stay for Jordan pitching sound effects for every time Darrell mentions Canada.

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Ariela Safira, Real

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:47:51 -0000

This week Darrell and Jordan talk with Real CEO and Founder, Ariela Safira. Real is a therapy platform that aims to make mental healthcare more accessible by offering group sessions and curriculums a user can engage with any time. While in college, Ariela had her first encounter with the mental health care system and realized that people were only seeking help for their mental health when they were in crisis. She then spent years studying the ways people seek care and how therapy could be more accessible and effective. In this conversation as they dive into everything from the research that lead her to found Real to religion to the merits of Goop. CW: suicide and attempted suicide.

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Liz Young, Realm

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 15:38:24 -0000

Liz Young remembers when her family became homeowners, even at six years old she understood it was a big deal. That sparked a fascination with real estate and the home-owning experience. While working at Bloomberg, she discovered the importance of data-driven decisions in the housing market. She wanted to give the power of data to the average homeowner so she founded Realm which helps homeowners prioritize renovation projects to increase the value of the home and use their time and money wisely. Darrell, Jordan, and Liz talk about the tricky housing market, how powerful localized data is for homeowners, and how Darrell can renovate his basement dungeon gym for the greeted ROI.

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Ashley Sumner, Quilt (re-release)

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 14:00:00 -0000

As COVID-19 cases spike many people enter 2022 in some kind of quarantine, a conversation about community and connecting across a digital space feels like just what the doctor ordered. Ashley Sumner's original concept for Quilt was all about meeting up in person — almost an Airbnb for conversations. But shortly after launch, the universe threw a wrench in the works, as a global pandemic shut down or severely limited in-person interaction almost everywhere, particularly among strangers connecting for the first time. Quilt made a pivot into the suddenly crowded social audio space, but Ashley explains how it kept its core focus and differentiation in the process.

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Alexandra Bonetti, The Talent Hack

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 17:00:00 -0000

While owning and operating studio gym spaces in New York, Alexandra Bonetti knew that it shouldn’t have to be this hard to establish processes for issues all gyms have like recruiting new members, hiring qualified talent, and getting substitutes for classes, to name a few. So she founded The Talent Hack which is a platform geared towards helping experts working in the fitness and wellness industry achieve tangible success. In this episode, she discusses her philosophy that everyone has superpowers and she is passionate about discovering those talents and making them work for the individual and how to be nimble as a new company in a complicated industry.

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Yusuf Sherwani , Quit Genius

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 17:22:52 -0000

Yusuf Sherwani saw the value in remote mental healthcare long before COVID sent everyone into video therapy sessions. He is the CEO and one of three doctor/co-founders of Quit Genius, an app that uses CBT therapy and other proven methods to help patients tackle their addiction. He talks with Darrell and Jordan about starting a telehealth company before COVID and the regulatory hurdles they had to navigate and how they convinced investors that it was crucial to be research-led when it comes to building a patient-focused product.

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Aditi Shekar, Zeta (Re-Release)

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 18:11:23 -0000

This week we're re-releasing Jordan and Darrell's conversation with Aditi Shekar, the co-founder and CEO of Zeta, a new kind of financial services company that's designed from the ground up for "multiplayer" banking. As the year comes to a close and we look toward 2022, we thought everyone could use inspiration to get new year, new financial habits in order. Plus Aditi's unstoppable tenacity and drive are undeniably inspiring.

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Ross Lipson, Dutchie

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 17:36:32 -0000

Co-founder of Dutchie, Ross Lipson talks to Jordan and Darrell about stepping into the cannabis space, taking the hits as they come, and growing a business in a highly-regulated and brand new industry. His positive outlook on business and life may be contagious so pessimists, nihilists, and fatalists beware.

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Carolyn Mooney, Nextmv

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 17:20:24 -0000

Carolyn Mooney wants you to make your decision-making process code. She is the co-founder and CEO of Nextmv which helps companies make efficient decisions on a mass scale—think Amazon distributing packaging or Uber plotting a route for an uber pool. In this week’s episode, she talks with Darrell and Jordan about Nextmv’s software that doesn’t just optimize decision making and route planning but also enables engineers to work on many different types of teams. Plus she talks about how coaching high school volleyball has made her a better leader and forced her to prioritize a work-life balance.

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Larry Gadea, Envoy

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:11:21 -0000

The way COVID-19 has changed the way we work comes up a lot, founders have had to pivot and innovate to build companies during lockdown but the workplace restrictions seemed to spark inspiration for this week's guest, Larry Gadea, founder, and CEO of Envoy. Envoy started in 2013 as a guest sign-in platform to make offices safer and more efficient. Over the past 18 months, they've created new products to solve for many of the new issues offices have as they adapt to the new and frequently changing office safety protocols. Larry talks about how remote work affected company culture, his work-life balance philosophy, and how his leadership style has grown with the company.

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Nabiha Saklayen, Cellino

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Not only is this week's guest the TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 Battlefield winner, but Nabiha Saklayen is also democratizing access to life-saving cell therapies by using—you guessed it—lasers. Nabiha is the co-founder and CEO of Cellino which is a company developing the tech to automate stem cell production that will lower the cost of cell therapies and increase the yield of viable cells. In this episode, Nabiha tells Jordan and Darrell how she built a start-up beginning with the tech and finding a business fit, her evolving leadership style, and why this work is crucial to the biomedical field.

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Megan O'Connor, Nth Cycle

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:37:06 -0000

This week we talk to the runner-up in Tech Crunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield: Megan O'Connor from Nth Cycle. Megan first found out about the impending shortage of materials used in batteries, phones, electric vehicles, and many of the products needed for a more sustainable green economy while studying at Yale and immediately began working towards a solution. She co-founded Nth Cycle which has developed a technology to help mining and recycling companies recover every bit of critical minerals from their operations by more efficiently recycling the materials and working to fill the gaps in the supply chain.

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Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger, MOSH

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 16:01:40 -0000

After experiencing firsthand what Alzheimer’s does to patients and their families, Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger, have launched MOSH, a nutrition company focusing on brain food. The mother and son duo combined her passion for advocacy with his experience in company building to create and a product and brand that will have people thinking about their brain health. They talk to Darrell and Jordan about how having a co-founder who is also your mother can have some additional stress, how they view health-food brands and the lofty promises of so many brands, and why we should all be thinking about our brain health no matter how old you are.

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Kiki Freedman, Hey Jane

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:58:08 -0000

Kiki Freedman realized access to abortion care was already at risk long before Texas' SB8, and that was what inspired her to found Hey Jane, a virtual health care startup aimed at women with an initial focus on delivering remote abortion care. Hey Jane provides access to consultations with doctors, available 24 hours a day, and home delivery for FDA-approved abortion pills. Freedman tells us about how her experience at Uber informed her founder mentality at Hey Jane, and how the startup hopes to change the healthcare industry.

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Jacqueline Schafer, Clearbrief

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:18:43 -0000

After a legal career that included litigation experience at a big NYC law firm, as well as stops in both the Washington and Alaska Attorney General offices, Jackie Schafer realized that one of the major challenges in litigation is accurate and thorough review and citation of the mass of documents and prior judgements involved in a case. That's why she founded Clearbrief, which could help level the playing field for small legal firms and unlock major efficiencies in the public justice system. Also, she's an amazing singer!

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Job van der Voort, Remote

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 13:13:42 -0000

Job van der Voort knows a thing or two about running a remote company, as a long-time GitLab employee, the host of the Remote Work Podcast and the CEO and founder of a company literally named 'Remote.' We talk to him about shifts in how companies and employees are approaching remote work, and how that proved a great basis for the creation of a company that renders a lot of the fundamentals of the model easy and repeatable.

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Tanya Van Court, Goalsetter

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 17:32:57 -0000

Tanya Van Court's professional career includes a lot of high-profile positions at Nickelodeon, ESPN, Discovery, and more. Despite her success working for others, she felt the need to create her own company in 2016 focused on something she saw as important to her own family, and to the world in general: Financial literacy. Goalsetter was born, and five years later it's going strong as a leading way for families to learn about and manage money together.

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Jelani Memory, A Kids Company About

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:13:22 -0000

Jelani Memory's 'A Kids Book About...' series began with just one title he created because he wanted to answer a question one of this own kids had. Through that process, Jelani realized that not only was there a need for a lot more similar books that deal frankly with difficult, important issue, but also an opportunity to change the publishing industry from the ground up.

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Hilary Coles, hims & hers

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 16:44:20 -0000

Hilary Coles co-founded telehealth startup hims & hers back in 2017, and the now-public company has expanded its focus considerably since then, including adding a full vertical dedicated to women's health. We talked to Hilary about building a healthcare brand focused on individual customer experience, with a brand designed to appeal to a new generation of healthcare recipients that haven't felt catered to by existing models.

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Jenn Graham, Inclusivv

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 11:37:06 -0000

Jenn Graham's startup Inclusivv looks very different from when it begins Civic Dinners in 2016. The idea back then was to take advantage of small group dynamics around in-person meetings — and dinners in particular — to foster important conversations around difficult topics, originally focusing on connecting government with the community. Inclusivv took that model, shifted it to digital in the wake of Covid, and expanded the mandate to help big brands and companies handle the topics their employees and users care most about, like sustainability, diversity and belonging.

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Celine Halioua, Loyal

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 20:40:04 -0000

Celine Halioua has spent much of her career focusing on life extension technology — but her own company started with a specific target of extending the lives of dogs, rather than humans. We hear from her why she wanted to start with canine companions, though her larger goals with her company Loyal include extending and improving our own lives, too.

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Liya Shuster-Bier, Alula

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 16:41:34 -0000

Liya Shuster-Bier learned first-hand, twice over, that cancer care leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to everything beyond the basics, and it's incredibly hard to navigate not just for patients themselves, but also for their loved ones and care network. That inspired her creation of Alula, a platform designed to help consolidate the resources that cancer patients, survivors and their care networks need to face tough challenges together.

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Clarisse Beurrier, Animal Alternative Technologies

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 12:35:25 -0000

Clarisse Beurrier went right from school to a lab-grown meat startup called Higher Steaks, and both her experience during her education and that first job in the field left her feeling like more needed to be done at a fundamental level, linking the work happening in research labs and universities to the commercial meat industry. That was the genesis for Animal Alternative Technologies, a company she co-founded with the mission of providing a scalable, end-to-end cultured meat production system for food sellers large and small alike.

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Amanda DoAmaral, Fiveable

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 13:48:55 -0000

Amanda DoAmaral was an educator herself before she decided to found a tech company aimed at improving the education system. That's a surprisingly rare credential for a startup founder in this area to possess — despite the obvious benefits of real, first-hand experience. Her company, Fiveable, focuses on modernizing (including a remote-first approach) a key and often overlooked part of education for students: Building an active community of peers to share knowledge with. Hear how she took her dissatisfaction with an inadequate system and turned that into the motivation to build a venture-scale business outside of it.

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Oleg Stavitsky, Endel

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:29:47 -0000

Oleg Stavitsky and his founding team at Endel are not your conventional startup founders: This artists' collective has been working together for years across multiple projects, and it just so happens that their latest collaboration ended up being a venture scale technology company. Endel is all about creating personalized soundscapes to trigger desired emotional and mental states, and the story of how it came to be is hardly your typical consumer app origin tale.

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Julie Bornstein, The Yes

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:21:42 -0000

Julie Bornstein has a storied career that includes spearheading the e-commerce transformations of some of the world's most popular and successful retail brands. She was also at Stitch Fix as COO during a pivotal time just ahead of the fashion startup's IPO, but her latest move was to become a founder and start her own company for the first time. The Yes is an e-commerce retail app that aims to please shoppers, providing a personalized digital store for every user that includes the best brands form all over the world. Hear how she wrangled luxe high fashion and everyday favorites into a single destination for all tastes.

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Aditi Shekar, Zeta

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 17:30:14 -0000

Aditi Shekar's childhood ambitions included literal world domination, but she ended up as an unstoppable entrepreneur instead. She's the co-founder and CEO of Zeta, a new kind of financial services company that's designed from the ground up for "multiplayer" banking — be it with a spouse, a trusted partner or anyone else. Aditi tells us all about how she's revolutionizing money management thanks to her drive and focus.

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Ashley Sumner, Quilt

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 17:59:35 -0000

Ashley Sumner's original concept for Quilt was all about meeting up in person — almost an Airbnb for conversations. But shortly after launch, the universe threw a wrench in the works, as a global pandemic shut down or severely limited in-person interaction almost everywhere, particularly among strangers connecting for the first time. Quilt made a pivot into the suddenly crowded social audio space, but Ashley explains how it kept its core focus and differentiation in the process.

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Rob Schutz, Ro

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:52:40 -0000

Rob Schutz didn't expect to be working on a startup addressing the need for reliable, direct-to-consumer erectile dysfunction therapeutics, but that's where he ended up at Roman. The company has since pivoted to become 'Ro,' with a focus on digital health and telemedicine more broadly, as well as pharmacy services, but we talk to Schutz about how he went from Bark Box to human health, and what the experience of building his startup alongside his two cofounders was like.

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Sara Spangelo, Swarm

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 11:18:38 -0000

Sara Spangelo's startup Swarm now has nearly 100 of its satellites in orbit, but the journey to get here has had plenty of challenges. After a track record that included working at Google X, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and plenty more, Sara realized with her co-founder Ben that including low-bandwidth network capabilities on tiny satellites was not only possible, but offered massive cost-savings vs. the usual way of doing things. But our talk focuses on the challenges of being a first-time founder and CEO, and creating a whole new business model.

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Cory Siskind, Base Operations

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 15:31:39 -0000

Cory Siskind founded Base Operations after realizing that the enterprise operations security market lagged behind its equivalent information security departments in terms of tech and innovation. She tells us how she went from being dropped into a heap of responsibility for assessing street-level threats in Mexico City right out of school for large global companies, to creating a scalable, tech-powered solution that finally brings the industry out of the 70s.

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Roslyn McLarty, The GIST

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 15:43:34 -0000

After realizing there was a serious lack of options for sports fans who happen to be women, or who just don't fit the typical mould addressed by the existent industry, Roslyn McLarty and her two co-founders created The GIST, a sports newsletter that has since grown into a podcast and a website, too. The GIST doesn't shy away from the human side of sports, nor does it treat sports like a secret club you need years of specialized knowledge to access.

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Leigh Honeywell, Tall Poppy

Fri, 28 May 2021 15:30:00 -0000

Leigh Honeywell has spent her career trying to prevent bad things from happening to people on the internet. She’s spent time at Slack, Heroku, and Microsoft, and is well-versed on both the technical and human sides of online harassment, and has seen first-hand how it can escalate to hacking or worse. That’s how she came up with Tall Poppy, a platform that helps organizations with a public-facing workforce, like media orgs, actively prevent this type of escalation. The Tall Poppy model turns what would be an unscalable business into a fast-growing startup.

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Lindsay Tjepkema, Casted

Fri, 21 May 2021 14:42:17 -0000

As a career marketer, Lindsay Tjepkema was used to trying a lot of different strategies and seeing what works. She started to see one type of marketing consistently paying off, however — particularly for B2B brands. That's how she came up with the idea for Casted, a B2B podcast platform that makes it easy technically and in tiers of content for enterprise companies to create their own podcasts to reach their clients and potential customers.

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Courtne Smith, NewNew

Fri, 14 May 2021 14:01:58 -0000

After starting her career as part of Drake's management team, founder Courtne Smith has gone on to create a couple of different apps aimed at capitalizing on new and emerging behavior in online social interaction. Her latest venture, NewNew, is a bit like a stock market mixed with a crowdsourcing platform for the decision-making of creators, artists, and even just everyday, ordinary people. We talk to Courtne about her path to entrepreneurship, and what's happening in social that's changing how people want to engage.

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Kathy Hannun, Dandelion

Fri, 07 May 2021 14:00:00 -0000

We're joined by Dandelion co-founder and President Kathy Hannun on this week's show. Kathy tells us how her time at Google X led her to creating Dandelion, a startup focused on making geothermal energy accessible to all. She shares what it's like to work at Google's famous moonshot factory, how she came to pursue a moonshot of her very own, and how she grappled with the realization that her startup needed to significantly change gears to serve its target market.

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Hana Mohan, MagicBell

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 15:00:00 -0000

This week, our guest is Hana Mohan. Hana is the co-founder and CEO of MagicBell, a startup tackling the monumental task of solving notifications for other software products. We spoke to Hana about her path to entrepreneurship, being labelled 'a high-maintenance employee,' taking part in Y Combinator, and what it's like transitioning in the startup world, and being a proud transgender woman founder.

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Earl Cole, The SMART Tire Company

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 17:00:00 -0000

On this week's show, we welcome Earl Cole, winner of Survivor: Fiji, but more importantly, the CEO and co-founder of The SMART Tire company. His startup is working with NASA to commercialize metal tire technology first developed to provide future Mars rovers with nearly indestructible wheels for tackling the toughest terrain, and Cole tells us all about how his background as a serial entrepreneur, and the first unanimous Sole Survivor, helped him navigate NASA's bureaucratic network.

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Brie Code, TRU LUV

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 17:00:00 -0000

This week's guest is Brie Code, founder and CEO of TRU LUV. In Brie's own words, TRU LUV is building "ritual and emotionally-conscious AI," which sounds ambitious and potentially world-changing because it is. Brie's background as a game developer led her to explore alternate types and motivations for game-like experiences, and that resulted in constructing AI in a mobile app that espouses a "tend-and-befriend" approach.

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Iman Abuzeid, Incredible Health

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 14:00:00 -0000

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Introducing TechCrunch’s new podcast

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:00:00 -0000

Join us weekly as we talk to founders from around the world, about why they took the leap into starting a company, what kinds of problems they ran into, and how they solved them — or maybe didn’t! We cover everything from pitching VCs, to focusing your product development plans, to what surprised people most about the founding experience. Subscribe now, and come back to hear our first full episode on April 9!Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: - On Twitter - On Instagram - Via email: found@techcrunch.com