Bästa Startup Founders podcaster (2024)

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What a $700 Wooden Bowl Teaches You About Marketing | Ep. 059 12:48

1d ago12:48

12:48

Could a $700 mixing bowl transform how you market your business? Ethan and Justin break down the psychology behind status symbols, from a walnut mixing bowl that’s more art than utility to luxury apps and historical oddities like $5,000 pineapples. They reveal how smart business owners can apply these lessons to create products and services that cu…

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He bet on voice AI when no one else did. Now he has $1M+ customers & $100M raised. | Ankit Jain, Founder of Infinitus 39:44

3d ago39:44

39:44

Ankit left his job as a VC to launch a Voice AI platform—back in 2018! It wasn't the voice AI of today. The first demo sounded like a robot. But still, he convinced large enterprise customers in the healthcare space to try it out. He found a highly manual, call intensive workflow in the back office and autoamted it using AI. Years later, he's raise…

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Ep. 293 How I Raised It with Danielle Patterson of Family Office List 40:01

13d ago40:01

40:01

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with with Danielle Patterson of Family Office LIst, a database and platform that aggregates family office data. See https…

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YC said his idea "would never work". So he lived in his office for months—then raised $17M from a16z in 14 days. | Marty Kausas, founder of Pylon 1:07:26

7d ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Marty and his co-founders lived full-time in their office for several months. They worked on their startup 24/7. To come up with the idea, they messaged 120 potential customers every day for 3 months. Originally, when they pitched YC they were told their idea would never work. YC said they'd seen it several times and it was destined to fail. So in …

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The Secret to Expanding Your Comfort Zone—and Your Life | Ep. 058 20:29

8d ago20:29

20:29

"Do one thing every day that scares you." — Eleanor Roosevelt Are you coasting through life, too scared to take a risk? In this episode, Ethan and Justin challenge the very idea of “playing it safe.” Ethan recounts his terrifying experience walking the edge of the CN Tower, a powerful reminder that growth only happens when you face discomfort head-…

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He built a $4B unicorn & crossed $100M ARR—here's why it took 10 years of 100-hour weeks. | Martin Basiri, Founder of Passage & Applyboard (SaaS North Keynote) 30:02

10d ago30:02

30:02

I interviewed Martin on the keynote stage at the SaaS North conference. Here is the audio version. Martin built Applyboard into a $4B unicorn doing $100M+ in ARR. He left and started a new startup called Passage— and raised a $40M seed round. He talks about 100-hour weeks, hiring exceptional talent, why smaller teams can outperform—and why he decid…

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His sports betting app went from $0 to $10M ARR in a year—& to $150M ARR in 4. Here's how he did it. | Jon Robin, Founder of Dabble 44:26

14d ago44:26

44:26

Jon started a sports betting app 4 years ago-- now he does $150M in revenue and $1B in betting volume. AND he's profitable. In his first year alone , he did $10 million in revenue. He took a year to build the app and as soon as he launched it, it took off. He did $10M in revenue in his first year. Honestly, it sounds too easy. But the reason it wor…

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Why AI Will Replace You—And How To Fight Back | Ep. 057 17:15

15d ago17:15

17:15

Are you ready to fight for your place in the AI era? Ethan and Justin deliver an unfiltered look at how AI is disrupting the workforce—and why your career might be next. Forget the myths that AI is only coming for factory jobs. It’s white-collar roles that are most at risk. They challenge you to stop fearing AI and start using it to your advantage.…

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He grew to $90M ARR, was about to exit for $1.5B—and then, it all fell apart. | Yanni Giannaros, Co-Founder of Wyre 55:58

17d ago55:58

55:58

Yanni started building in crypto back in 2013, when you could buy one Bitcoin for $20. At one point, he was playing poker games and betting 1 bitcoin each round! He built an extension that let people use bitcoin to buy anything, anywhere on the internet. Then he pivoted to building the first on ramp for bitcoin. And finally, pivoted into Wyre, whic…

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How to build great products—lessons from Amazon, Facebook, Twitter & Deel. | Aaron Goldsmid, Head of Product at Deel 37:54

21d ago37:54

37:54

Aaron was Director of Product at Amazon, VP Product at Twilio, PM at Facebook and Twitter. Now he’s head of product at Deel where he reports directly to the CEO. Deel was founded in 2019— now, just 5 years later, it’s worth $12B and raised over $650M. We go deep on what it takes to build world-class products, how early-stage founders can balance cu…

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Does DEI = "Didn't Earn It?" And What Does It Mean For Your Company | Ep. 056 22:58

23d ago22:58

22:58

Is DEI creating fairness or fueling division in the workplace? In this episode, Ethan and Justin King take on one of the most polarizing topics in modern business—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Is it leveling the playing field, or does it unfairly tip the scales? They confront the controversial idea that DEI often translates to “Didn’t Ear…

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He made his first loan at 16. Now his fintech startup does $50M+ ARR—here’s how. | Tate Hackert, Co-Founder of ZayZoon 1:03:24

24d ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Description Tate started doing commercial fishing at 16. He took that money and started lending it— on Craigslist! By 23 years old, he’d lent out $250,000. Then he found out about cash advances, and decided to start ZayZoon, a platform to help employers pay their employees faster. Tate was one of the early pioneers of the entire Earned Wage Access …

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After I passed, this startup grew 30x in 3 years to $10M+ ARR. Here's how he did it—& what I missed. | Francois de Kerret, Co-Founder of Zeffy 30:36

28d ago30:36

30:36

Zeffy is one of my biggest misses so far. I met Francois 3 years ago when he was raising his $3M seed round. But I passed. They were at ~$500K in revenue at that point. In the last 3 years, they've grown 30x. Clearly, I missed out. But it's been a long road for Francois. Before he got to the current idea, he had to make 3 pivots, including building…

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Eager vs. Desperate: The Secret to Confident Connections | Ep. 055 10:42

29d ago10:42

10:42

Are you coming across as eager or desperate? In this episode of Kingspiration, Ethan and Justin explore the fine line between eagerness and desperation in sales, relationships, and life. Discover why desperation turns people off and how self-awareness can help you recalibrate your approach. They share practical techniques for delivering value confi…

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He hit $40M ARR, exited for over $100M—& raised only $1.5M. Here's how | Ian MacKinnon, Co-Founder of Later.com 56:01

1M ago56:01

56:01

In 2014, Ian launched a simple product: it let social media marketers buffer Instagram posts. It was originally a hackathon project. But it quickly gained users. So he and his co-founders went all in. They raised just one small seed round. His main competitor, HootSuite, raised over $300M. In spite of that, he built a $40M ARR business that sold fo…

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He raised $16M, hit $1M ARR—& failed. Here are the top 3 lessons he learned. | David Anderson, Founder of Tandym 54:13

1M ago54:13

54:13

David's startup failed. But he had everything going for him: a solid thesis, $16M in funding across 3 rounds, $1.5M in ARR. At a high-level it seemed like everything was going the right way. And yet, it didn't work out. This is what happens to 95% of startups. On thhis show, we mainly speak with the top 5%-- the ones where things went right and eve…

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Is Dissing Your Competition a Smart Strategy? | Ep. 054 17:17

1M ago17:17

17:17

Is it smarter to win by pointing out your competitors’ flaws or by showcasing your strengths? In this episode, Ethan and Justin dive deep into this age-old debate, exploring how businesses, politicians, and even individuals use opposition or support to sway opinions. Drawing from examples like fast food chains and social media antics, they reveal w…

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He sold his 1st startup for 8 figures, grew his 2nd to $3M in a year—while battling panic attacks from the pressure. | Justin Adams, Founder of Aiwyn 46:00

1M ago46:00

46:00

Justin sold his first bootstrapped startup for over $10M. He raised $2M out of the gate for his second and then grew from $250K to $3M ARR in one year. He raised $40M in total, including a Series B from Bessemer. And yet, just a week before recording the episode, he shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent panic attack that left him frozen for 15 m…

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He raised $1.5M, hit $400K ARR in 9 months— but had to Exit Early. Here’s the top 3 lessons he learned | Rob Palumbo, Co-Founder of Outpoint 39:08

1M ago39:08

39:08

Rob founded Outpoint in 2020 to help marketers optimize their ad spend. He was a growth marketer and his founder a data scientist. He had team-market fit, a solid thesis, and paying customers. But when the recession hit and ad spend dropped, growth ground to a halt. Nothing he did could revitalize growth. Ultimately, he decreased expenses and exite…

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Ep. 292 How I Raised It with Matthew Burris of Venture Studio Associates 51:16

1M ago51:16

51:16

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with with Matthew Burris of Venture Studio Associates, a firm that helps other firms design and launch venture studios. S…

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His startup Cameo was a unicorn—until it crashed 90%. Here's how he went from near-bankrupt to profitable again. | Steven Galanis, Founder of Cameo 57:47

1M ago57:47

57:47

Cameo is one of the best-known recent consumer startups. You've either used it or know someone who's used it to get famous people to create personalized videos. And, for a while, they were a total rocket ship. Year 1: $300K GMV Year 2: $4M Year 3: $20M Year 4: $100M They were backed by Jeremy Liew, the VC who seeded Snapchat in 2012. Cameo became a…

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Can—or Should—We Halt Automation to Save Human Jobs? What the Port Strike Means for You Beyond the Docks | Ep. 053 12:54

1M ago12:54

12:54

What happens when humans halt progress to protect their jobs? In this episode, Ethan and Justin dive into the repercussions of a historic port strike where dockworkers secured a 62% wage increase—but at the cost of blocking automation. As more industries brace for the effects of AI and robotics, they explore the tug-of-war between maintaining jobs …

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VC funding is not popping back. THIS is the new normal—here's how to adjust. | Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta 41:57

2M ago41:57

41:57

Q3 startup data just dropped. We chat with Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta about valuations at pre-seed, seed and Series A. Why the current fundraising environment is the new normal and not about to get much better. We also talk about trends in founder vesting, and why some founders are choosing to vest for longer. Finally, we go through wh…

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Elections vs. Wallets | Ep. 052 8:25

2M ago8:25

8:25

Does fear over the election impact how you spend? In this eye-opening episode, Ethan and Justin explore how election cycles affect consumer confidence, spending habits, and our sense of financial security. While elections can create a charged atmosphere, they encourage listeners to look beyond the political noise and take ownership of their financi…

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His robotics startup raised $400M, his VC fund over $4B—& he ran both at the same time. Here's how he did it.| Lior Susan, Bright Machines & Eclipse Ventures 42:59

2M ago42:59

42:59

Lior is the Elon Musk of VC. In just 8 years, his venture fund went from 0 to $4B under management. And while doing that, he founded Bright Machines, which to date has raised over $400M. He's both the CEO of Bright Machines and the Managing Director of Eclipse Ventures. And he's not building "easy" software startups either. Bright Machines is looki…

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This 1st-time founder raised $4M, kept the team to 5 people—& just raised a $28M Series A. | Parker Gilbert, Co-Founder of Numeric 37:39

2M ago37:39

37:39

Parker quit his job as VP Finance at a late-stage startup in mid 2021. He raised $4M out of the gate because, well, it was 2021. But he didn't ramp up sales, he didn't hire 15 developers. He kept the team to 5 people for the first year. He worked with a dozen design partners until the value prop was perfect. He even refused to let customers pay upf…

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Ep. 291 How I Raised It with Kirin Kalia of Grow Through Story 42:49

2M ago42:49

42:49

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with with Kirin Kalia, founder of Grow Through Story, (https://www.linkedin.com/company/grow-through-story/) a consultanc…

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Learning Hack: Get Two AI Hosts to Dive Deep on Any Topic You Choose | Ep. 051 9:46

2M ago9:46

9:46

What if a tool that could change the way you learn and absorb information? In this episode, Ethan and Justin dive into Notebook LM, Google’s innovative AI that transforms written content into realistic conversations between two AI hosts. Picture listening to complex articles, personality assessments, or even resumes discussed as if two people are e…

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In 2004, they "almost bankrupted themselves". In 2024, they hit $500M ARR & a $5B valuation. | Mike Wessinger, Co-Founder of PointClickCare 55:13

2M ago55:13

55:13

Mike started selling SaaS before SaaS was a thing. PointClickCare is the Salesforce of healthcare. For the first 7 years, they raised just $600K from friends and family. With that funding, they grew to $50M in ARR. Through that time, they went through the 2000 Dotcom crash and nearly went bankrupt in 2004 as they chased too many markets too soon. S…

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The top 3 reasons why Zuck is killing Apple in the Mixed Reality race. 11:27

2M ago11:27

11:27

Apple sold only 370,000 VisionPro headsets-- much fewer than it expected. Meanwhile, Meta Ray-Bans are the top-selling product in 60% of Ray-Ban stores. The outcome of their AR/VR products couldn't be more different, even though they both have as much awareness as you could possible buy. There are 3 reasons: 1. Price. 2. Killer feature vs cool prod…

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Ep. 290 How I Raised It with Caroline Winnett of UC Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator 31:31

2M ago31:31

31:31

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with Caroline Winnett of UC Berkeley SkyDeck (https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/) a leading West Coast accelerator that works …

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The Mentor Next Door: Why You’re Closer to Your Dream Than You Think | Ep. 050 15:17

2M ago15:17

15:17

Are you closer to achieving your dream than you realize? In this episode of Kingspiration, Ethan and Justin reveal the surprising ways mentorship can help you reach your goals faster than you imagined. Through relatable stories, including Ethan’s experience with a speaking mentor and his stepfather’s journey to becoming a bishop, the hosts explore …

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His influencer marketplace hit $150M in revenue—& just exited for $500M. It all started with a party at Coachella. | Piotr Tomasik, Co-Founder of Influential 40:49

2M ago40:49

40:49

Piotr met his co-founders at a party in Coachella. He built them an app for influencers to post online. That simple idea evolved into one of the world's first influencer marketplaces. While so many other tried and failed, Piotr and his team targeted marketing agencies with big budgets. They grew to $150M in revenue over a 10 year period. This summe…

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Your odds of raising a Series A just dropped from 30% to 15%—here's what to do about it: 12:38

2M ago12:38

12:38

New Carta data shows that 30% of seed-stage startups used to raise a Series A within 2 years of their seed. Now, only 15% do. The bar for Series As is as high as it's ever been. And the number of seed extensions that I see is going up as a result. But for founders, this is NOT a bad thing. I remember as a seed-stage founder I was obsessed with rais…

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What AI Wearables Mean for Your Future | Ep. 049 10:44

2M ago10:44

10:44

How would you feel if every conversation you had was recorded? In this episode, Ethan and Justin explore the rise of wearable AI technology that records everyday interactions, like the Plaud Note Pin, and its profound implications for privacy. As wearable devices become more integrated into daily life, they debate the benefits and risks, including …

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His 1st startup failed—but his 2nd one hit $100M ARR & a $1.6B valuation. Here's what he learned. | Liran Zvibel, Founder of WEKA 46:44

2M ago46:44

46:44

Liran quit a cozy job at IBM to launch Fusic, a TikTok-like app back in 2011. He raised over $10M, acquired tens of thousands of users, and failed. So he went back to what he knew: deep tech and enterprise. He launched WEKA in 2013 to improve the efficiency of GPUs. He was operating on hard mode: building deep tech and selling to large enterprise c…

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He quit Google with no startup idea, raised $50M from Sequoia with no revenue— & grew to 8 figures in ARR. | Dan Lorenc, Founder of Chainguard 31:48

3M ago31:48

31:48

This episode is going to piss you off. Most founders struggle to raise their first few million. Many have to bootstrap for years. Even once there's revenue, many get rejected because they're "too early". Dan had dozens of VCs asking to invest before he even quit his job. He raised his first $5M with no deck, no story, and no product idea. All it to…

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Why Price Sensitivity is Surging and What it Means for You | Ep. 048 21:23

3M ago21:23

21:23

Are your customers becoming more price-conscious? In this episode, Ethan and Justin take a hard look at the growing trend of price sensitivity in 2024, discussing how it’s reshaping consumer behavior in both the U.S. and South Africa. They share insights on why more consumers are "putting their foot down" on rising prices, with 81% now comparing pr…

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He founded a banking app for kids 10 years ago, grew to 2M customers & exited—in one of the biggest fintech M&A deals ever. | Dean Brauer, Founder of GoHenry 52:52

3M ago52:52

52:52

It was “really slow in the first couple of years...really, really slow.” GoHenry was an app and debit card for kids to help parents teach their kids about money. Dean started over a decade ago in 2012, when mobile was just truly taking off. And yet, it took multiple years to get off the ground. Once he found the right channels and repeatable growth…

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Ep. 289 How I Raised It with Courtney McCrea of Recast Capital, a Fund-of-Funds 31:17

3M ago31:17

31:17

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with Courtney McCrea of Recast Capital, a fund-of-funds that invests in emerging VC managers. Recast also runs the Accele…

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1st-time AI founder grows from $0 to $1.3M ARR in 8 months. Here's exactly how he did it. | Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Founder of Artisan 31:43

3M ago31:43

31:43

Jaspar graduated YC & closed a $11.5M seed round this week. He launched Artisan just 8 months ago. And this is the first venture-backed startup he's ever ran. He started with product-led-growth but struggled. In May, he moved to a sales-first go-to-market & scaled from $200K ARR to $1.3M ARR by September. We go deep and tactical to figure out exact…

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How To Have Everything You Really Want In Life | Ep. 047 9:44

3M ago9:44

9:44

Have you ever stopped to wonder if what you want is truly yours—or if it's what society has conditioned you to desire? In this thought-provoking episode, Ethan and Justin dive deep into the subtle but powerful distinction between your genuine desires and those influenced by others. Through personal stories and exercises, they explore how to break f…

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He launched an Uber competitor with just $3,000—& grew to $20M in revenue in 7 years. | Cody Ruberto, Founder of Uride 40:53

3M ago40:53

40:53

Cody started a ride-share business in 2017 with no capital. He focused exclusively on small towns (population <100K) where Uber/Lyft weren't available. I know as a VC I would've passed if he'd pitched me when he started—and I would've been dead wrong. So far he's raised only $2.1M, compared to Uber's $30B+ raised. And yet, he built a business doing…

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The ONLY guaranteed way to attract & retain A-players. 11:11

3M ago11:11

11:11

I tried to pay my employees as little as possible. I thought I was being resourceful—& it seemed to work. Until it totally backfired. I learned my lesson the hard way. No founder wants to hire B-level or C-level talent. Everyone is looking for A-players. But most founders don't put in the work. And they end up with B-level teams. If you're serious …

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Ep. 288 How I Raised It with Lloyd Danzig of Sharp Alpha VC 51:31

3M ago51:31

51:31

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.This episode is with Lloyd Danzig of Sharp Alpha Advisors, a venture capital firm specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment -- ba…

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