Afleveringen
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There is no getting around the power of customer feedback in building a successful startup.
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Luke Kim, founder and CEO of Liner, an AI-powered search tool revolutionizing the way researchers, students, and knowledge workers find reliable information. As a child during the dot-com boom, Luke dreamed of one day starting his own company. Right out of college, he turned his dream into reality by founding Liner, which is now one of the top AI search tools in the world.
Luke shares his incredible journey and highlights his teamās successful strategy for harnessing the power of customer feedback to build a highly engaged and passionate user base that drives growth organically.
We discuss:
How his team maintains a close connection to customer pain points and heavily relies on user feedback to drive product developmentLinerās recent $22M Series B funding and their strategy for scaling globallyTheir quick pivot to AI search within a week of ChatGPTās API original release
Lukeās insights into building a 100% customer-centric team provide invaluable lessons for startup founders at any stage.
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In this episode of Startup Success, we're joined by Manish Patel, founding partner at Nava Ventures and self-described accidental venture capitalist. Manish shares his fascinating journey into venture capital, including the challenges and rewards of running a Series A-focused fund and his firmās thesis-driven approach to investing.We discuss:
What Manish looks for when investing in Series A startups and foundersAdvice on preparing for and raising a Series A roundThe current state of the startup ecosystem and why Manish is excited about 2025Important areas a startup founder should focus on besides the usual benchmark metrics This not-to-be-missed episode is packed with actionable advice for startup founders and thought-provoking perspectives on the art and science of venture capital.
Key Moments:
š¹[00:06:05-00:07:42] Nava Venturesā Investment Philosophy
š¹[00:07:42-00:09:40] Their Pain Points Driven Thesis
š¹[00:09:38-00:11:12] Challenges of Fundraising
š¹[00:11:12-00:12:33] Evaluating Series A Companies
š¹[00:13:33-00:14:55] Venture Capital Misconceptions
š¹[00:14:25-00:15:30] Founder-Investor Relationships
š¹[00:15:30-00:18:24] Building In-House Capabilities
š¹[00:18:32-00:18:50] All Revenue is Not Equal
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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The Trump 2.0 era will reshape the startup landscape. Is your startup prepared for whatās next?
In this insight-packed episode of Startup Success, we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Steven Lord, Burklandās Managing Director of Service Delivery and Chief Learning Officer. Steve dives deep into the state of the startup ecosystem as we close out 2024 and enter a pivotal year.
We explore the long-awaited resurgence of venture capital activity, the shifts in valuations, and the much-anticipated reopening of exit pathways like IPOs and M&A deals. Steven shares his thoughts on how the incoming administration will impact startups across all sectors, including AI, energy, fintech, crypto, and SaaS.
We discuss:Why now is the time to prepare for a more favorable fundraising environmentImportant tax and regulatory changes founders should have on their radarThe many reasons Steve is optimistic about the 2025 economy How startups play a critical role in job creation and are essential to economic growth
Whether you're a founder, investor, or startup enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable advice and forward-looking perspectives to help you navigate 2025 and beyond. Don't miss it!
Key Moments:
š¹ [00:02:31] Discussion of the recovering economy post-2024 challenges
š¹ [00:08:16] Regulatory and Policy Impacts
š¹ [00:14:31] Venture Capital Trends
š¹ [00:20:46] The Role of Startups in Job Creation
š¹ [00:26:01] Fundraising Strategies for Startups
š¹ [00:32:41] Advice for Startup Leaders
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In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Surojit Chatterjee, the CEO and founder of Ema, a generative AI platform poised to transform the future of work. With a career spanning high-level roles at Google and Coinbase, Surojit shares his journey from building billion-dollar businesses to creating Emaās Universal AI Employee, designed to automate tedious tasks and empower employees to focus on high-value work.
Surojit explains the concept of AI employees and illustrates Emaās ability to learn, adapt, and evolve to tackle complex, repetitive tasks across enterprises.
We discuss:The critical safeguards and trust-building features that make Ema a standout in generative AIThe barriers to enterprise AI adoption and how Ema overcame those hurdlesHow technology like Ema could make it easier for founders to start companies in the future
Tune in to discover the next frontier of automation thatās fueling a more agile and efficient workplace!
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In this episode of Startup Success, we dive into the incredible entrepreneurial journey of Russ dāSa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit, a startup that evolved from a pandemic side project into an open-source development stack that powers real-time AI. The wildly varied use cases for LiveKitās technology range from voice conversations with ChatGPT to saving lives on 911 emergency calls.
It's a fascinating listen that spotlights the broad range of services we use every day that are now powered by AI!
Russ shares:
How he and his co-founder navigated unexpected twists, including scaling their open source project that went viral on GitHub and pivoting to a business model they were genuinely passionate aboutWhy taking the to time learn what customers really want was essential to LiveKitās success and the lessons there for other foundersThe lightbulb moment when he realized his team was building ācore infrastructure for the future of where computing is goingā
A must-listen for aspiring and seasoned founders, Russ shares key lessons he learned along his winding path to startup success. Tune in to learn how LiveKit is revolutionizing real-time communication and empowering developers worldwide.
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In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Vlad Voroninski, CEO and co-founder of Helm.ai, an AI software startup that is developing the world's safest and most advanced autonomous driving systems at scale.
Vlad gives us a fascinating look into Helm.ai's innovative approach to addressing previously unsolved problems in the self-driving car space, detailing how his company leverages unsupervised learning and generative AI to create scalable, robust solutions for real-time autonomous vehicle operations.
We explore:
Helm.aiās bold approach to fundraising that paid off bigHow Vlad's academic background in applied mathematics helped him create technology that is transforming the automotive industryHow he knew it was the right time to finally launch his own companyThe technology that got them a foot in the door at major automakers and a sneak peek at Helm.aiās partnership with Honda
Join us for a deep dive into the challenges and breakthroughs in the autonomous driving field and discover what sets Helm.ai apart from its competitors in this fast-moving space.
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What if the powerful nutritional compounds in breast milk could be harnessed to improve the health of people of all ages? Today, weāre sitting down with Laura Katz, CEO and founder of Helaina, a groundbreaking biotech startup thatās pushing the boundaries of what food can do for health. Helainaās technology platform replicates functional proteins found in the human body, making them available as new nutrients that enhance immunity, gut health, and cognitive function.
Laura shares her fascinating journey from a food scientist, who initially didn't even know what a venture capitalist was, to pioneering a new era of nutrition and raising $83 million in funding.
Our conversation touches on:
Lessons Laura learned from her hard-fought fundraising successesThe hardest part of being a founder and why it surprised herLauraās methodology for turning her vision into a realityThe challenges of being a solo founder and starting a company in the biotech spaceThe tremendous value of having a mentor and a supportive network
Get ready to be inspired by Laura's incredible story of innovation and persistence as she brings the future of health to lifeāone protein at a time.
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What if your inspiration for starting a company came from solving a problem you experienced first-hand as an engineer at a tech giant like Uber? In this episode, we welcome Anish Dhar, Co-Founder and CEO of Cortex, to share his incredible journey from an engineer at Uber to founding Cortex, the internal developer portal that addresses a massive gap in engineering processes and recently raised a $60M Series C round.
Anish reflects on how he and his co-founders identified a critical pain point that they knew countless engineers experienced but no one had tried to solve yet. Being āclose to the painā motivated them and was a huge factor in their startupās fundraising success.
Our expansive discussion touches on:
What VCs are looking for at Seed, Series A and beyondAnishās experience applying (and getting rejected the first time) at Y Combinator and how persistence paid offWhy being close to the pain point your product is trying to solve gives founders an advantageThe engineering challenges that inspired Cortex
In Anishās words, starting a company is ātruly one of the most gratifying and impactful experiences that you can have. It's painful, but it's worth it!ā
Donāt miss Anish's story of innovation, resilience, and building a product thatās transforming the way engineers manage complex systems.
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For startups, even software startups, figuring out what is worth patenting is one of the most important moves a founder needs to make.
Thatās where our guest today comes in. Jeff Schox, Founding Partner and Patent Attorney at Schox Patent Group, is a patent expert whoās helped hundreds of very successful startups navigate this rocky terrain.
Jeff joins us to give startup founders a basic primer on everything they need to know about patents ā an often misunderstood and overlooked area. Right off the bat, Jeff dispels the three biggest myths about startup patents (1. Software isn't patentable / 2. If we can't enforce the patent, it doesn't have value / 3. The biggest costs of a patent portfolio are the legal fees). And he explains how startups can take a strategic approach to patent filing that safeguards future innovation and fuels future growth.
We also discuss:
All the key components around patents a founder must knowThe value of filing a provisional patent, especially for startupsWhy determining the valuation of patents is so trickyHow a good patent attorneyās key role is strategic partnerThe strict deadline after which you can never pursue a patent
This episode is truly a must-listen as it gives founders valuable knowledge on patents and patent strategies for ensuring long-term success.
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We explore some weighty questions on this episode of Startup Success, including:
What would the world look like if half the venture capital dollars were in women-led funds? Is VC funding the golden ticket or just another hurdle for startups? How do we overcome the biggest limiting factor to success ā ourselves?Why is the bulk of venture capital still not in the hands of women?Sutian Dong, Partner at Multitudes and a pivotal figure in venture capital, joins us to tackle these topics and to share profound insights on the dynamics that guide VCās decision making process, how that impacts startups, and why she started her own fund.
Known for her work supporting female founders and investors, Sutian is the founder of Global Women in VC, the worldās largest global community for women in venture capital. Her firm, Multitudes, is built on the thesis that the next generation of innovation will be different than the last, and they invest in and incubate projects that explore the edge of human consciousness.
Join us for this enlightening discussion on the future of investing, the value of diverse perspectives, and the strategic decisions every founder should consider.
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To celebrate the 100th episode of Startup Success, we have two exceptional guests: Peter Reinhardt, CEO and co-founder of Charm Industrial (and the former co-founder/CEO of Segment), and Jeff Burkland, CEO and founder of Burkland.
Peter and Jeff take us behind the scenes of Segment, the hugely successful startup that was acquired by Twilio for $3.2 billion in 2020. They recount their time working together at Segment, where Jeff came on board early as the fractional CFO.
Jeff and Peter candidly discuss:How Peter overcame the early stage challenges that almost ended SegmentThe struggle to find product-market fitJeffās take on what makes a great fundraising pitch (and why Peter is a natural)The pricing model that was a game-changer for SegmentFinally, Peter touches on his latest venture Charm Industrial, a carbon removal technology startup that raised $100 million last year and has a long list of renowned US companies as customers.
Tune in for practical advice, insightful stories, and real-world lessons learned from their startup experiences. Whether you're in the early stages of your startup or looking to scale, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways!
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In the rapidly evolving world of AI, standing out requires more than just innovation; it demands leadership and a clear vision. Enter Lin Qiao, the driving force behind Fireworks AI, who is redefining the limitations of speed, value and scale in generative AI.
With a $52M Series B secured earlier this summer, Fireworks AI has quickly become a major player after launching their public platform just one year ago. Lin, their CEO and Co-Founder, joins us to share the invaluable lessons sheās learned along her journey from leading Metaās AI platform development team to founding an industry-disrupting startup.
We explore:
Fireworks AIās customer obsessed culture and deep belief that āif our customers are successful, we will be successfulā How their product iterations flowed organically from their customersā evolving needsWhy moving fast and prioritizing for speed is key to their successWhere AI is headed as it becomes more sophisticated and the industry matures
Lin offers advice for founders on everything from how to avoid the āparalysis of analysisā in decision-making to strategies for driving down the cost of AI. Don't miss this insightful conversation with one of the leading voices in AI innovation.
For more information about Fireworks AI, visit fireworks.ai.
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Amid high interest rates and election uncertainty, navigating the startup landscape has never been more challenging. Fortunately, our special guest, Steve Lord, is here to offer a broader perspective that may help ease your mind.
As a member of Burklandās Leadership Team, Steve serves as Managing Director of Service Delivery and Chief Knowledge Officer. Steve has been in the trenches for a while and his knowledge of the startup and venture capital ecosystem runs deep.
He joins us today to discuss the current state of the startup and venture capital ecosystems and what to expect as we progress through 2024.
Steve expands on:
The macro factors that are making the startup landscape and fundraising more difficult right nowThe pros and cons of using Venture Debt to extend your cash runwayWhy a rigorous due diligence process that addresses all the āGotchasā is a good thing for your startupFinding investors who are allies and who can make your company betterThe value of delegating to subject matter experts so you can stay focused on your productThe cyclical nature of VC funding and the strategic responses startups can take
Tune in for practical tips on how to survive and even thrive in todayās startup environment.
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In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Jaclyn Chen, Co-Founder and CEO at Benepass, a platform that solves real-world pain points for both employees and employers in the benefits space.
Jacyln dives into her experience working with Y Combinator early on and how she approached fundraising during very different economic climates. And she shares some truly great advice for fellow startup founders!
Highlights from our discussion include:
Strategies that increase your odds of securing fundingThe parallels between enterprise sales and raising venture capitalThe evolution of the founder role from selling the vision to building a team and scaling the companyIdeas on how founders can make the due diligence process more seamless for VCs
This episode is packed with valuable insights for early-stage startup founders looking for a competitive edge.
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Dr. Misti Ushio, Managing Partner at Digitalis Ventures, joins us in the studio today. Mistiās entrepreneurial journey took flight with the formation of TARA Biosystems, a groundbreaking startup that developed āheart-on-a-chipā technology.
From raising $20 million in venture financing to navigating the complexities of scaling a biotech startup, Misti shares the highs and lows of her journey and discusses how her talent for commercializing cutting-edge research is a perfect fit for her most recent role as a VC.
Misti offers valuable advice for startup founders on a variety of topics, including:
How to put together a board of directors that will best serve your startup now and in the futureThe often-overlooked impact of branding and business development on a startup's successMethods for reining in the conflicting demands of running a fast-growing startup
Tune in for a conversation filled with wisdom, insights, and inspiration!
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Our guest today is Stasia Obremskey, Co-Founder and Managing Director at RH Capital, an impact-first venture capital fund that invests in the future of women's health.
Stasia provides an in-depth look at the types of innovations RH Capital is passionate about and shares examples of how their portfolio companies are dramatically improving health outcomes, affordability and health equity. Listeners will learn about the potential for outsized returns in this is a large, underserved, rapidly growing market.
We also discuss:
The critical importance of managing every penny of your available cash, especially in this marketStasiaās advice for founders on securing fundingThe pivotal role of a CFO at a startup
Join us for this fascinating conversation and discover how RH Capital is a driving a paradigm shift in womenās healthcare.
Visit RH Capital at rhcapital.vc to learn more about their mission and investment criteria. Startups pioneering change in womenās health are encouraged to submit a pitch via the Pitch Us form on their website.
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Weāre thrilled to have Tanya Beja, General Partner at AlleyCorp, in studio for the latest episode of Startup Success. Join us for a fascinating conversation about their unique approach to investing and incubating that will strike a chord with startup founders looking to make a positive impact on society.
Tanya introduces us to AlleyCorp Impact, a fund dedicated to backing founders who are intentionally building for middle or low income Americans - the 80% of families who power our economy. Impact specifically looks for compelling ideas that use tech to solve big social challenges, accelerate upward mobility, and generate strong returns.
We also discuss:
How AlleyCorp combines incubation and early-stage investment to build category-defining companiesReal-world examples of how their portfolio companies are impacting a wide range of human needs, such as health equity and economic securityTheir new philanthropically funded ENG(INE) program that pairs nonprofits with a team of engineers to build tech that advances social & economic opportunityTanyaās advice for founders on the importance of having a North Star, hiring amazing people, and how to pick the right investors
Don't miss this episode packed with insights and inspiration for anyone interested in the world of venture capital and impact-driven investing.
For more information on AlleyCorp and to stay updated with their latest ventures, visit allycorp.com and follow them on LinkedIn. Nonprofits interested in applying for ENG(INE) can learn more at nonprofitengine.org/
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In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Josh Gilbert, CFO of the VC firm Freestyle, who unravels the intricacies of venture capital investing. Josh offers an insider's perspective on the role of VC firms in the startup ecosystem and sheds light on the inner workings of how they operate.
His insights on the current state of the startup/VC landscape, along with why the renewed focused on due diligence is a good thing for startup founders (despite the potential headaches), make this a not-to-be-missed episode!
Highlights:
Why due diligence is more stringent now and how founders should approach itHis advice on what founders need to be transparent about, including past failuresJosh details the rigorous process VCs go through in evaluating startupsHow to build strong relationships with your investors and why itās important
Josh's dedication to supporting founders shines through, making this episode a must-listen for anyone navigating the world of startups and venture capital. Tune in to learn more about Freestyle and the secrets to startup success.
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Join us in this enlightening episode as we sit down with Bill Snyder, the CEO and Founder of Vivante Health. Propelled by a recent $31M Series B round, his company is on a mission to revolutionize digital health, starting with chronic GI conditions.
Bill shares the founding story of Vivante Health and how their innovative platform transforms the way patients suffering from digestive health issues receive care. He also gives us a peek into the challenges of entrepreneurship, including the highs and lows of fundraising and the importance of building a strong company culture.
We discuss:
The 3 things Vivante Health is doing right that sparked investorsā interest The power of transparency, accountability, and collaboration in building a mission-driven organizationHow his startup is using pattern recognition to improve patient outcomesBillās hard-won advice for dealing with obstacles that arise along the startup journey
Tune in for valuable insights from an inspiring founder who built a successful startup from the ground up.
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Today we dive into the world of legal strategy for startups with Charu Satia, startup attorney and Partner at Silicon Legal Strategy. With more than a decade of experience under her belt, Charu provides invaluable insights into the array of key legal issues startup founders need to be aware of from inception to exit.
Charu explains why it makes sense to bet on your startup's success by investing in a solid legal foundation early on. From entity formation to IP protection, equity structuring to commercial agreements, Charu highlights the critical areas where legal counsel plays a pivotal role in minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities for startups.
We discuss:
The importance of working with legal counsel from an early stage to avoid costly cleanup and delays during fundraising or M&A due diligenceCommon pitfalls of opting for shortcuts like free online legal templates (hint: it may cost you more in the long run!)Actionable advice for startup founders around building a network of supportive partners
Tune in to gain valuable insights from Charu Satia and learn how to lay the groundwork for your startup's success with strategic legal counsel.
Silicon Legal Strategy specializes in corporate transactional work, serving as trusted advisors throughout the entire lifecycle of startups. To learn more about their laser focus on helping entrepreneurs succeed, visit: www.siliconlegal.com.
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