Afleveringen
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Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Tharshan Thavaharan who leads Partnerships at Paddle, a fintech company last valued at $1.4b where I also work now.
In 2023, he started the AI Launchpad, a global founder program at Paddle which attracted 59 AI startups from 21 countries and in 6 weeks helped them accelerate their journey to find product-market fit, reach target audiences, and establish a financial base for scaling. Now he's passing the captain's armband to me and I'll be running this year's cohort. Applications open now, check out our site: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad
In this episode, Tharshan and I discuss the behind-the-scenes story of winding down my previous edtech startup (BIPF), how I ended up at Paddle, what lessons Tharshan learned by running the AI accelerator, the types of companies who were part of it, the big focus for 2024 for us and more.Relevant links:
AI Launchpad website: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad
Tharshan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tharshant/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthikpuvvada/Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.
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Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Ariel Renous, co-founder and CEO of Augment.org.
Augment is a modern online alternative to the traditional MBA program. Augment's approach is to reshape education by leveraging online tools to offer high-quality business knowledge straight from the minds of the brightest business leaders. Partnering with experts in business education and world-class entrepreneurs from companies like Wikipedia, YouTube, Waze, and Shazam, they crafted an innovative MBA program. The fast-growing startup based out of Paris raised a $6 million funding round from top tier investors in 2023.
In this episode, Ariel and KP discuss the founding story of Augment, the evolution of business education over the years, the power of cold emailing influential people in Silicon Valley, lessons from building in public and more.
The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are:
00:00 Introduction
03:09 Origin Story of Augment
08:35 Cold Emailing Everyone in Silicon Valley
12:20 The Power of Mission and Storytelling
29:45 The Upside of Building in Public
30:04 Lessons from Fundraising
33:07 Building Augment
36:14 Non-Zero Sum Game
39:45 Finding the Right Idea
45:09 Challenges Before Starting Augment
52:04 Building a Team and Managing ChallengesRelevant links:
Ariel's handle on X: https://twitter.com/ArielRenous
Augment's website: https://augment.org/
KP handle on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKPPast guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.
Other episodes you might enjoy:
Episode 4 with Gary VaynerchukEpisode with Alexis Ohanian (Co-Founder of Reddit and 776 Fund)The Must-Have Qualities For You To Become A Successful Entrepreneur (feat. Sheel MohnotEpisode 10 with Kat ColeLife After One Of India's Biggest Startup Exits (feat. Phanindra Sama) -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Welcome to 2024's 1st episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Jason Cohen, four-time entrepreneur across 24 years who has built both bootstrapped and VC-funded businesses in his career. He had two exits and two unicorns and has been writing for 17 years on the Internet. You may have seen him on X as @asmartbear or read one of his articles at this blog: asmartbear.com
Jason is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of WP Engine which is a startup unicorn that he started in 2010. The company raised over $300m in funding, has over 1,200 employees globally and serves billions of web requests daily for 200,000 customers as one of the top-ten largest web platforms in the world.
In this episode, Jason and KP discuss the significance of passion, the role of writing in personal growth, and the story behind Jason's beef with the term "MVP" in startups :) The conversation touches on challenges entrepreneurs face, the difference between missionaries and mercenaries in business, and strategies for finding great startup ideas.
The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are:
00:00 Intro
05:26 Jason's Writing Routine
08:34 Redefining Product Development: From MVP to SLC
23:25 The Power of Being Mission-Driven in Building a Company
27:48 Finding Great Startup Ideas
30:48 How to Select Between Multiple Business Ideas Effectively
40:48 Finding the Perfect Work Companion: Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses in Hiring
41:38 Tips for Maximizing Productivity and Authentic Engagement on Twitter
51:38 Wrap-UpBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Note: If you loved the conversation or had questions/comments to share, please post on X or DM me directly :) Always hungry for feedback. Thank you!
Links:
Jason's handle on X: https://twitter.com/asmartbear
Jason's blog: https://longform.asmartbear.com/
KP handle on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Gale Wilkinson, founder and Managing Partner at VITALIZE, a seed fund and angel community investing in transformative WorkTech software and currently deploying capital out of a $23.4M Fund II and their 500+ member angel community.
Previously founded IrishAngels, one of the largest angel groups in the world. Gale has led $70M+ in early-stage deals across 125+ portfolio companies, and she has made 50 personal angel investments.
In this interview, Gale and KP delve into all-things VC and share their insights on topics such as:
00:00 Intro
03:02 The Work Tech Thesis
04:53 The Kauffman Fellowship Experience
05:47 Traits of a Great Investor
07:26 The Shift in the Venture Landscape
08:54 The Future of Venture Capital
09:46 Investment Strategy and Criteria
11:38 Lessons Learned from Fundraising
13:04 Choosing the Right Problem to Solve
18:32 The Discrepancy in Funding for Underrepresented Groups
25:28 Advice for Founders
34:53 Focus for the FutureBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts on this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:
Gale on X: https://twitter.com/galeforceVC
VITALIZE on X: https://twitter.com/VitalizeVC
VITALIZE Venture Capital: https://www.vitalize.vc/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Jess Chan, founder of Backbone, a platform designed to streamline email marketing for small eCommerce teams. She is one of the top retention marketing experts, with expertise in retention marketing through email and SMS.
She previously founded Longplay Brands, a full-service retention & lifecycle marketing agency for DTC e-commerce brands. Jess bootstrapped the agency scaling to 7-figures in revenue in the first 18 months.
In this interview, Jess and KP discuss various topics related to entrepreneurship and e-commerce such as:
00:00 Intro
02:18 Inflection Points and Drive to be an Entrepreneur
05:22 Transition from CMO to Entrepreneur
06:49 De-risking the Decision to Become an Entrepreneur
09:18 The Pressure to Succeed and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking
11:00 The Value of Failure and Learning from Mistakes
12:19 The Perception of Risk in Entrepreneurship
15:16 The Emotional Experience of Being an Entrepreneur
17:12 The Importance of Long-Term Growth and Avoiding Short-Term Thinking
19:20 Building Strong Foundations for Long-Term Success
21:21 The Journey from Agency to Product Business
24:21 Discovering the Opportunity for Backbone
28:21 The Emotional Intensity of Running an Agency
30:39 Appreciating the Malleability of Service-Based Businesses
34:41 The Slow Compounding of Software Businesses
35:56 The Role of Agencies and Services in Cash Flow
36:23 Optimizing for Exit vs. Agency Model
42:02 Retention Marketing Strategies
46:33 Mistakes in Email Marketing
48:27 Building a Strong Foundation for Business
51:50 Ideal E-commerce Business to Purchase
55:05 Rapid Fire RoundBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts on this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:
Jess on X: https://twitter.com/jjesschanLongplay Brands: https://www.longplaybrands.com/
Backbone: https://www.gobackbone.co/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Michael Girdley, CEO of a $100m/yr holding company and a serial entrepreneur for 20 companies over 30 years in San Antonio. Michael is also a partner at the Geekdom Fund, a seed-stage tech venture capital fund that has invested in over 50 high-growth tech companies. He has also built a 195k+ Twitter following and a newsletter with over 20k readers. Now he enjoys teaching and helping founders online and created The Complete HoldCo Course
In this interview, Michael and KP go through a series of interesting topics such as:
● (00:00) Intro
● (04:11) How Michael got into entrepreneurship
● (05:43) Being a geek and its definition
● (08:33) Web programming with Java - first book Michael wrote
● (11:11) How it felt after writing a book
● (12:31) Michael as compared to a young Bill Gates
● (13:52) Working hard vs Doing what you love
● (14:58) Maintaining great output simultaneously
● (17:29) Going all in on one company
● (19:21) Michael’s experiences and lessons from Silicon Valley
● (21:39) Community as a necessity for founders
● (24:29) Michael’s favorite business heroes
● (27:19) Looking back through decisions and regrets
● (29:11) Advice to his 18 year old self
● (32:11) Rapid Fire Round with Michael GirdleyBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts about this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:
Michael on X: https://twitter.com/girdley
Michael’s website: https://girdley.com/Michael’s Holdco course: https://holdco.girdley.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Champ Bennett, co-founder and CEO of Capsule, an AI-powered video editor for content and marketing teams. Previously, Champ also co-founded a startup called “Phhhoto” that was widely used by celebrities like Katy Petty and Beyonce.
In this interview, Champ and KP dive into multitudes of lessons and topics such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● One challenging aspect of creative tools (03:36)
● Picking a great idea to pour your time into (04:32)
● Adapting to the dynamics of idea execution (06:34)
● The mindset of an inspiring founder (09:27)
● Capsule’s Ideal Customer Profile (13:21)
● Mitigating the challenges of enterprise sales (17:07)
● Champ’s previous startups (22:47)
● How a company he built took off by accident (26:42)
● The framework of making a startup work (30:10)
● Rapid Fire Round (38:52)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts on this episode.
Thanks for listening!Links:
Champ on X: https://twitter.com/doyouknowchamp
Capsule: https://capsule.video/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features serial entrepreneur Yong-Soo Chung, who has bootstrapped his Personal Holding Company to near 8-figures in annual revenue over the past 8 years.
In this interview, KP and Yong-Soo covered a spectrum of topics, exploring Yong-Soo's journey and providing their insights on:
● Intro (00:00)
● Identifying your content niche on X/Linkedin (04:31)
● Pit stops along the journey (09:48)
● Conviction from experience (14:12)
● Yong-Soo’s founder journey (18:02)
● Balancing the operations of various diverse portfolio (36:17)
● The I, We, They Framework of company building (37:49)
● Letting go of control to be in control (38:52)
● Rapid Fire Round with Yong-Soo Chung (43:21)
● Highlight of Yong-Soo’s career (49:38)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts about this episode.
Thanks for listening!Links:
Yong-Soo Chung on X: https://twitter.com/YongSooChung
PHC Philosophy on X: https://twitter.com/PersonalHoldCo
First Class Founders Podcast: https://www.firstclassfounders.com/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features founder of ApplyAll Tal Flanchraych, Co-founder of Engyne AI Sukhpal Saini, Codeless Coach Andrew Tsao and Fermi Fun founder Sangharsh Bhustalimath - four of the most promising fellows from the 3rd Cohort of the Build In Public Fellowship
In this interview, KP, Tal, Andrew, Sang and Sukh delve into their building in public journeys, sharing their insights on:
● Intro (00:00)
● Their background and current projects (03:10)
● Building in public challenges pre-cohort (08:16)
● Transformational goals in joining BIPF (16:42)
● The media leverage (29:59)
● The power of keeping on going on (32:38)
● What makes Build In Public Fellowship unique (45:12)
● The aspect of community and being in the right group (48:27)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
Andrew on X: https://twitter.com/atsaotsaoSang on X: https://twitter.com/10KRotator
Sukh on X: https://twitter.com/thisissukh_
Tal on X: https://twitter.com/TalMahaj
Build In Public Fellowship: https://buildinpublicfellowship.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Sachit Gupta - founder of Platforms Media, a company that offers services to help podcasters grow their audiences and monetize their shows
He has worked on campaigns with top podcasters like Andrew Warner (Mixergy), #1 NYT best-selling authors (Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Oren Klaff), and international sports stars (Rohit Sharma, Indian Cricket Team) and more
In this interview, Sachit and KP give a masterclass on podcast and marketing, focusing on topics such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● What captured Sachit’s interest into doing podcasting (03:46)
● The great podcast launch playbook (08:41)
● What works best for podcasting (10:15)
● Strategies on marketing and launching (11:02)
● Landing top clients and huge gigs (15:45)
● Conversations with top creators’ teams (19:02)
● Story behind Creator’s MBA and lessons from it (23:15)
● The magic in implementation (27:09)
● Science of content business model (28:57)
● AI in content (30:41)
● Inspirations to draw from (36:40)
● Lessons from On Deck days (48:24)
● Advice for beginner podcasters (58:42)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts on this episode.
Thanks for listening!
Links:Sachit on X: https://twitter.com/sachitgupta
Platforms Media: https://www.platformsmedia.com/
Creator’s MBA: https://creatorsmba.com/
KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP’s podcast link: https://www.buildinpublicpodcast.com/episodes
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features John Weiman, founder of Life Bridge Coaching and a world-class expert in relationship counseling.
Dubbed a 'Miracle Man,' he's helped over 3,000 couples in coaching sessionsIn this interview, John and KP discussed their insights and opinions on topics such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● John’s WHY as a counseling expert (03:28)
● The domino effect of work-home relationship (08:21)
● Elements that affect couples
● Listening to respond vs to understand
● Staying neutral as an advisor
● The masters and disasters in communicating
● Love maps and making relationships work
● Bids for connection in relationships
● Why you should prioritize relationship health
● John’s advice to his younger selfBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts with us.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-weiman-3a109b11/
Life Bridge Coaching: https://lifebridgecoaching.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features a sneak peek of a Fireside Chat we had in our Build In Public Podcast Fellowship on the theme of podcasting and asking great questions. We were thrilled to have Danny Miranda share his insights on this topic.
Danny Miranda is the host of The Danny Miranda Podcast (top 1%), and has talked to the world's greatest entrepreneurs & thinkers like Gary Vee, Seth Godin, Alex Hormozi etc. with over 400 episodes in his channel.
In this interview, Danny and KP delve into all things podcast specifically topics such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● Danny’s current content and value-add (02:51)
● Huge internal struggles as a beginning podcaster (04:30)
● Realizations that led to start with podcasting (06:12)
● On consistency and putting in the work (07:43)
● What do great podcast questions look like (10:20)
● Bad questions and how to avoid them (11:25)
● Danny Miranda’s research process, then and now (12:50)
● Interview prep for celebrity guests (15:00)
● Keeping the passion (21:10)
● Dealing with metrics and going beyond them (23:33)
● Danny’s podcast guest that changed the game for him (27:16)
● What to do when a guest does not match the energy (31:00)
● Audio only versus Audio-video podcasts (33:27)
● On niching down (38:04)
● Podcast growth analysis (41:12)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts about this episode.Thanks for listening!
Links:Danny’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/heydannymiranda
The Art Of Interviewing: https://www.artofinterviewing.com/
Danny’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/dannymiranda
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Tyler Denk, CEO of the multi million dollar start-up Beehiiv - a newsletter platform that helps creators launch, scale, and monetize their newsletters.
He and his co-founders were able to grow Beehiiv to $4M in annual revenue and raise tens of millions of dollars from top-tier investors.
In this interview, Tyler and KP talks about a wide range of topics covering tips, tactics and insights such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● Lessons from Tyler’s move from Morning Brew to Google (00:17)
● What made him take the leap to Google (6:06)
● On Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief’s relentlessness and leadership traits (10:06)
● Beehiiv’s origin story (12:06)
● The behind-the-scenes of building Beehiiv (17:33)
● Beehiiv’s MVP and its killer features (21:41)
● Barriers met and insights from building in a saturated category (24:39)
● What makes Beehiiv different (31:03)
● Other possibilities for Tyler if it were not building Beehiiv (36:21)
● The most underrated aspect about newsletters (39:52)
● Rapid Fire Segment with Tyler Denk (48:08)
● Steps Beehiiv took in becoming a VC-backed startup (49:41)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for listening!
Links:Tyler’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/denk_tweets
Beehiiv on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beehiiv
Behiiv website: https://www.beehiiv.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Lloyed Lobo, an entrepreneur, podcast host and community builder, who experienced the Gulf War as a young refugee in Kuwait, witnessing the strength of communities in evacuating the population to safety.
He is currently the founder of Boast AI - a software that integrates financial, engineering, and project data to increase the speed, accuracy, and size of eligible tax incentives.
In this interview, Lloyed and KP share their profound thoughts and opinions on various topics such as:
● Intro (00:00)
● The Dubai tech scene (01:06)
● Realizing the power of community (04:42)
● Company vs Journey vs Destination (10:22)
● Appreciation for companionship (11:42)
● How to Build relationships and network (13:50)
● Advice to first time founders (17:31)
● How to overcome trust deficit and build customer confidence (21:04)
● The framework of leveraging community-led growth (21:57)
● Two kinds of community (27:52)
● Why a lot of people struggle with consistency (21:01)
● Finding your purpose as key in community-building (43:35)
● How to cold pitch for an influential speaker (45:05)
● What’s next for Lloyed (56:19)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Thanks for listening!
Links:Lloyed’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/lloyedlobo
Boast AI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoastCapital
From Grassroots to Greatness website: https://www.lloyedlobo.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Neil Thanedar, the founder & solo GP of Utopic, a pre-seed VC fund investing in biotech startups led by scientist CEOs.
He is also the founder & chairman of Labdoor, a consumer watchdog with $7M+ in funding and 20M+ users, and Air to All, a 501(c)3 nonprofit medical device startup.
In this interview, Neil and KP delve into a wide array of insightful topics, specifically about:
● Intro (00:00)
● How Labdoor came about (01:23)
● Labdoor’s success and its brand awareness aspect (07:56)
● Transfiguring B2B to B2C (09:49)
● The potential of fractionalizing and democratizing startups (10:39)
● How Neil’s dad influenced and inspired him (11:52)
● What Mittelstands are and their role in the startup world (13:55)
● A founder’s mission beyond their startup (17:07)
● Startup politics (18:02)
● Imagining the ideal POTUS (22:39)
● The role of YC in Neil’s career (28:40)
● Struggles of scientist CEOs (30:46)
● The power of writing in public (33:05)
● Hidden ambitions and obsessions (37:08)
● Desire on finding the front door for founders easier (47:48)
● Aspiring founders vs. Ambitious founders (50:20)
● What’s next for Neil Thanedar (56:28)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
Neil’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeilThanedar
Utopic Ventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UtopicVentures
Utopic Ventures website: https://utopicvc.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to the eleventh episode of “Million Dollar Exits” - a special series brought to you by The Build In Public Podcast.
This episode features Mac Martine, a bootstrapped SaaS founder who recently had a life-changing exit for his business that he grew from 0 to $58k MRR in just 30 months.
Building apps since 2008, he began his journey with multiple failures and recently had a highly successful exit.
In this interview, Mac and KP explore a range of startup-related topics, sharing their experiences and perspectives on:
● Intro (00:00)
● How Mac started his founder journey and went from zero to exit (02:50)
● Realizations Mac had upon reaching $50K MRR (04:03)
● An advice to his younger self (08:25)
● The zero to one dilemma and how founders can navigate it (16:06)
● Hope, momentum and everything they represent (20:46)
● What Mac did differently that led him to success (22:38)
● The patterns that stood out from Mac’s interactions with possible customers (24:54)
● How he validates products and features (28:35)
● Why talking to people is the most crucial thing a founder can do (31:31)
● The varying and evolving opinions of customers (33:37)
● What’s next for Mac Martine (34:36)
Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
Mac Martine’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/saasmakermac
The SaaS Bootstrapper Newsletter: https://www.thesaasbootstrapper.co/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Adam Draper, Founder and Managing Director of Boost VC, which is an early-stage venture capital firm with $200m AUM.
Adam is a 2x entrepreneur and a 4th generation venture capitalist who comes from a family of highly influential leaders including his dad, Tim Draper, who made investments in Skype, Tesla, Bitcoin and more.
In this interview, Adam and KP explored a wide variety of topics such as:● Intro (00:00)
● Paying it forward and asking for what you want (3:50)
● How building in public does your business a huge favor (11:00)
● What qualities set apart great founders (16:57)
● Why mission-driven founders are more likely to succeed (18:54)
● Infectious ambition and raising its ceiling (24:38)
● The right mindset and working harder (27:20)
● Tribute to Adam’s father, Tim Draper, on his brilliant strategic thinking (32:50)
● Self-sovereignty and what it means in tech (36:02)
● The possibilities of universal LLC (38:41)
● What’s up next at Boost VC (43:21)
● The kind of founders Adam wants to connect with (44:27)
● Adam’s take on expanding human endeavor (45:46)
● Brainstorming as the new age of podcasting (47:56)
● Leaning into what personally feels wondrous (48:53)
Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Thanks for listening!
Links:Adam’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamDraper
Boost VC on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoostVC
Boost VC’s website: https://www.boost.vc/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
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Welcome to the tenth episode of “Million Dollar Exits” - a special series brought to you by The Build In Public Podcast.
This episode features John Rush, founder of Mars X - a dev tool making $1.5m ARR with over 20,000 developers in the ecosystem.
John has been a software expert and entrepreneur for over 15 years and has made multiple acquisitions including Unicorn Platform.
In this interview, John and KP explore a range of topics, sharing their valuable perspectives on:
● Intro (00:00)
● The blossoming tech/indie hacking scene in Istanbul (2:53)
● Indie hacking trends from 2008 to 2023 (04:51)
● Mars X and its goal to accelerate software development (09:51)
● The acquisition of Unicorn Platform (17:39)
● A culture of identity and creative freedom (23:41)
● Collaboration for shared resources and distribution (26:22)
● Stories behind John Rush’s previous acquisitions (27:44)
● Current acquisition market activities (34:01)
● How John Rush started his AI journey (40:36)
● Latest applications of AI and its potential (49:34)
● The current biggest opportunity in AI (53:21)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnrushx
MarsX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marsxdev
MarsX website: https://www.marsx.dev/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP’s podcast link: https://www.buildinpublicpodcast.com/episodes
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Calum Johnson, host of The Calum Johnson Show – a podcast with over 250 episodes. He built a top 5% pod that got 1.5 million views on social in 60 days.
Calum also owns the podcast production company CJ Podcast Pro - helping companies & entrepreneurs build a unique digital brand through the power of podcasting.
In this interview, Calum and KP delve into all things podcast and branding, sharing tips and insights about:
● Intro (00:00)
● Calum’s podcast and why this concept is important to him (03:22)
● The story and the goal behind CJ Podcast Pro (05:16)
● Longevity, consistency and patience (07:40)
● One mistake Calum used to make when starting something (10:35)
● The value of short form content (13:40)
● How Calum chooses his guests for his podcast (16:52)
● 2 things successful podcasts have in common (18:16)
● The edge that The Calum Johnson Show is trying to develop (20:57)
● Finding authentic moments in an interview (21:56)
● Operating on an ‘instinct level’ in anything creative (26:47)
● Calum’s research process and pre-podcast recording regimen (34:51)
● Key learnings about short-form videos and social media (41:42)
● Calum’s and KP’s top 3 picks as their dream guests (46:23)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thanks for listening!
Links:Calum’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/calum_johnson9
CJ Podcast Pro: https://cjpodcastpro.com/
The Calum Johnson Show: https://www.youtube.com/@thecalumjohnsonshow
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP -
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.
Today's episode features Jim Kroft, Aishwarya Ashok, and Varun Kumaraswamy - three exceptional fellows from the awesome 2nd cohort of the Build In Public Fellowship (BIPF).
BIPF is a curated community and 6-week program designed to help ambitious founders put themselves out the arena and build in public fearlessly.
Join the 3rd cohort starting in August: https://buildinpublicfellowship.com/
In this interview, Jim, Asihwarya, Varun and KP delve into all things building in public, exploring topics such as:
● Unique reasons that led them to join BIPF (07:25)
● Common passion as a binding factor (12:41)
● The power of storytelling and emotional connection (18:34)
● How to become interesting (15:23)
● What building in public is and how it is embodied (23:13)
● Navigating between over-positivity and vulnerability (26:24)
● Building in public as a natural catalyst for curiosity (27:56)
● Attracting what you put out (32:57)
● Sharing experiences and learnings to build in public (35:25)
● The value of teaching and act of sharing (37:46)
● The Impact of being part of the Build In Public Fellowship (39:11)
● Belief capital as a result of building in public (44:28)
● How to maximize community membership (54:00)
Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.
Thanks for listening!
Links:
Jim Kroft’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimkroft
Aishwarya Ashok’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aishashok14
Varun Kumaraswamy’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/varunpk_
Build In Public Fellowship: https://buildinpublicfellowship.com/
KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_
KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP - Laat meer zien
