TechCrunch’s Found podcast, which has introduced listeners the tales behind the startups since April 2022, launched its closing episode at present.
I’ve been one of many hosts of Found since November 2022 and in that point have spoken to greater than 75 founders concerning the startups they’re constructing. These founders hail from many various backgrounds and are constructing in sectors starting from AI to local weather to ecommerce to greater training and all the things in between.
Now that the present will not be bringing you new episodes, I made a decision to have a look again at a few of my favourite episodes.
You could discover a theme all through many of those. The greatest founders to speak to didn’t pitch us their product the whole time nor did they make huge lofty claims about their firm or their business. Instead, many of those founders supplied a clearheaded account of each constructing their corporations and of the trials and trepidations of startup life.
The following 15 episodes are simply my favorites that I’ve been part of. These episodes are listed in reverse chronological order of once they have been launched, versus my precise rating, you received’t be getting that from me.
Guest: Howie Liu, co-founder and CEO, Airtable
What the corporate does: no-code app platform
Episode pub date: October 22, 2024
Why it’s a fav: Liu was a delight to speak to. Airtable has a captivating story and Liu tells it nicely. The incontrovertible fact that the app’s design is impressed by considered one of Liu’s favourite animated film characters tells you all the things it is advisable to know concerning the tone of this dialog.
Guest: Nick Frosst, co-founder, Cohere
What the corporate does: enterprise AI
Episode pub date: August 8, 2024
Why it’s a fav: There is a number of exaggeration and hype in the case of at present’s AI startup market. Frosst doesn’t lean in. It was refreshing to speak to an AI founder who each is aware of their stuff, but in addition can acknowledge what the AI business is overselling and the way their very own firm matches into the swell.
Guest: Tade Oyerinde, chancellor, Campus
What the corporate does: Accredited on-line neighborhood school
Episode pub date: July 18, 2024
Why it’s a fav: A whole lot of the startup ecosystem is founders seeking to iterate on previous concepts. While this strategy is each legitimate, and sometimes profitable, it isn’t at all times attention-grabbing. Campus is among the few (non climate-focused) corporations I spoke to this yr doing one thing truly distinctive.
Guest: Nicolas Green, co-founder and CEO, Thrive Market
What the corporate does: membership-based on-line wholesome grocery platform
Episode pub date: April 2, 2024
Why it’s a fav: Thrive Market might have focused its on-line market of wholesome snacks and groceries to the kind of buyer that may already entry them. But it didn’t and the explanation why make for a fantastic founding story. Plus, studying concerning the logistics of an internet grocery retailer that launched previous to Covid was fascinating — even for those who aren’t as obsessive about grocery logistics as I’m.
Guest: Rebecca Hu, co-founder, Glacier
What the corporate does: robots that kind recycling
Episode pub date: March 12, 2024
Why it’s a fav: Glacier’s strategy of utilizing pc imaginative and prescient to coach robots to kind recycling looks as if a glimpse into the way forward for scale back, reuse, recycle. Hu additionally has some attention-grabbing anecdotes on what it’s prefer to construct an AI firm within the age of AI washing. Plus, the robots have names.
Guest: Beatrice Dixon, co-founder and CEO, The Honey Pot (acquired by Compass Diversified)
What the corporate does: menstrual hygiene merchandise
Episode pub date: February 6, 2024
Why it’s a fav: The founding story of The Honey Pot is a captivating one and Dixon is sort of the storyteller. This episode additionally reveals you the sheer grit of getting a startup off the bottom but in addition dives into the candy reward on the finish of all that work.
Guest: Ben Goodwin, co-founder and CEO, Olipop
What the corporate does: prebiotic soda
Episode pub date: January 24, 2024
Why it’s a fav: Olipop is a wild firm to comply with because the gut-healthy soda market has exploded in recent times. Goodwin was additionally a delight to speak to. Despite being CEO, he nonetheless formulates all of the model’s flavors himself. He took our name whereas ingesting espresso out of a wine tumbler. That provides you an thought of how this went down.
Guest: Neil Batlivala
What the corporate does: connects underserved communities to high-quality care
Episode pub date: November 28, 2023
Why it’s a fav: Batlivala has cracked the code on tapping authorities assets to assist a startup additional its affect. Batlivala, and his work with Pair Team, is shiny spot among the many startup ecosystem as his firm works to enhance the lives of the U.S. most susceptible populations, that are oft ignored by the tech business at massive.
Guest: Abhi Ramesh, founder and CEO, Misfits Market
What the corporate does: on-line grocery retailer of ugly produce and mispackaged items
Episode pub date: October 31, 2024
Why it’s a fav: Ramesh was extremely candid concerning the founding story behind Misfits Market and all the hurdles he confronted getting the corporate off the bottom. This episode was additionally recorded shortly after Misfits acquired rival Imperfect Foods so there’s a number of helpful information on how one can merge corporations collectively too.
Guest: Graham Hine, co-founder and director, ePlant (previously CEO)
What it does: Uses AI sensors to watch tree well being
Episode pub date: September 5, 2023
Why it’s a fav: This startup makes use of AI to speak to timber! Hine was not your typical Silicon Valley founder, in a great way, and it was enjoyable to talk with an organization that’s fixing an enormous downside — tree well being — however in a really enjoyable approach. Listen to seek out out Hines’s favourite tree too.
Guest: Rebecca Rosenberg, founder and CEO, ReBokeh
What the corporate does: assistive expertise for folks with low imaginative and prescient
Episode pub date: August 1, 2023
Why it’s fav: Folks with disabilities are sometimes utterly ignored by tech innovation so it was actually cool to listen to from a founder that’s constructing transformational tech for folks with low imaginative and prescient and doing so in a approach that’s rooted in her private expertise. Rosenberg can be smart past her years.
Guest: Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, founder and CEO, Samooha (now a part of Snowflake)
What it does: safe knowledge collaboration
Episode pub date: May 16, 2023
Why it’s a fav: Sivaramakrishnan is a drive to be reckoned with within the tech world. She signed paperwork to promote her first startup whereas on the hospital making ready to provide start and has since launched and offered one other startup. There are a number of learnings to be pulled from this one.
Guest: Ben Lamm, founder and CEO, Colossal Biosciences
What it does: conservation via bringing extinct species again to life
Episode pub date: March 21, 2023
Why it’s a fav: While you might go into this episode confused on why a tech startup could be seeking to deliver the wooly mammoth again to life, you’ll finish this episode pondering that concept makes good sense. Lamm is an interesting speaker and the science behind the corporate is infinitely fascinating.
Guest: Matt Rogers, founder and CEO, Mill
What the corporate does: at-home meals composter and recycler
Episode pub date: March 7, 2023
Why it’s a fav: Rogers has a captivating background previous to beginning Mill that features engaged on the unique iPhone and founding the Nest sensible thermometer firm. Rogers is hilarious and his quips and anecdotes alone make this one price your time.
Guest: Mir Hwang, founder and CEO, GigFinesse
What the corporate does: Gig-booking software program
Episode publish date: Jan 17, 2023
Why it’s a fav: Hwang is a captivating founder. From pretending to be his personal reserving agent to constructing this startup out of another person’s dorm room, there are a number of enjoyable tales packed in right here. Plus, GigFinesse’s gig-booking instrument is fairly cool by itself too.
