In this episode you’ll hear about:
-How Hubble got its name from the Hubble Space Telescope, which actually needed a contact lens to correct its vision.
-Jesse’s experiences starting a movie club and a mentoring group that showed him he could build something from nothing.
-How his experience investing at Bridgewater gave him and his co-founder Ben a network of advisors.
-The decision to be Co-CEO’s versus pursuing a more traditional organizational structure, and why titles don’t really matter.
-Why a healthy dose of individual pessimism can actually foster collaborative optimism in a startup.

In typical form, we’ll end with a few fun questions about companies Jesse admires and who he most would want to interview given the chance.

Episode 4: Jesse Horwitz, Hubble Contacts

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Surfset’s appearance on Good Morning America, and how Sarah’s scrappiness made it a success
-The decision to get funding from Shark Tank versus a traditional venture route or entirely bootstrapping
-How Surfset avoided being a trend-driven fitness activity to become a sustainable business
-How Sarah changed her typical high school bake sales into new events that significantly increased funds raised
-Sarah’s defining moment (at age 9!) that sparked her curiosity for entrepreneurship
-Why the fear of failure shouldn’t be on your mind if you want to succeed (and why thinking of the worst case scenario can be liberating)

Be sure to stayed tuned until the end of the episode, where Sarah talks about her love of productivity apps and the business books that have helped her get where she is today.

Episode 6: Sarah Ponn, Surfset Fitness

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The travels her family did each summer growing up, alternating between India -and new locations, and how this influenced her curiosity
-How even as a child, Gowri aspired to be a doctor, rocket scientist, and professor rather than the typical “princess fairy”
-How the violin taught her the importance of practice and instilled in her a work ethic that would later help when starting a company
-Why Gowri never thought the company would end, even when their first CTO had to leave the company (and why that’s critical to success)
-How she and her husband, who is also an entrepreneur, bounce ideas off each other while still managing to keep work and home life separate
-What success means to Gowri (and why it’s probably not what you think)

At the end you’ll hear about Gowri’s favorite products, including Purple Carrot, a vegan Blue Apron that even her meat-eating friends enjoy, and why she’d want to interview Jeff Bezos.

Episode 7: Gowri Rao, CareerLark

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Why Marc prefers to build startup ecosystems outside the major cities in the U.S., and why entrepreneurship can thrive anywhere
-The genesis of Startup Weekend, and when the lightbulb went off for Marc that these events were where great ideas begin
-Marc’s childhood living with exchange students from all over the world
-How adversity in your youth can lead to a path of self discovery and independence
-Why Marc thinks real world experience prior to entrepreneurship is integral to success
-The values behind Startup Weekend, and why inclusivity and neutrality are critical when it comes to starting a company

Check out the end of the episode, where Marc explains why he would rather interview an entrepreneur from Syria than someone who is famous, and where he shares some of his favorite memories from Startup Weekend.

Episode 8: Marc Nager, Startup Weekend

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Andy’s cofounder Danielle convinced him to stay in the Valley to build what would later become Mattermark
-Why a company’s data tells more of a story than its press releases
-The pivotal moment for Mattermark, where publishing an article on Zombie VCs turned into finding a product / market fit
-Why Andy finds starting a company more inspiring than taking a high-paying job (and why you should ignore people’s opinions on the matter)
-The first business Andy started at a young age, and how its unfortunate business name enabled him to find his first customers
-The self-awareness needed to move your company forward and how having shared values with your cofounder is critical

Stay tuned to the end of the episode, where Andy tells us more about what he’s currently working on and what he would ask Jeff Bezos if he had the chance to interview him.

Episode 9: Andy Sparks, Mattermark

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How the idea for Occasion was born out of frustration from being unable to reserve tennis court time in Chicago
-Aksh’s view on how AI will transform his industry
-The long lineage of entrepreneurship in Aksh’s family, and how it molded his childhood dreams
-Why Aksh works at his mother’s store every six weeks, and how that enables him to build a better product
-The apprenticeship program Occasion started for its employees in order to gain more customer empathy
-Why entrepreneurs shouldn’t equate business failure with personal failure

Catch the end of the episode, where Aksh talks about the growing importance of voice interfaces and why it’s critical to surround yourself with mentors who are much more senior in their career.

Episode 13: Aksh Gupta, Occasion

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Why it was important for Cleo to have a personality, and the opportunity Aleksandra sees in the space
-Growing up in Poland and how her father helped foster her early interest with -technology 
-How, as a child, computer science felt like wizardry, where scripts were spells and programs were magic
-Why Aleksandra was not deterred by not having prior leadership experience (and why learning by doing is critical to success)
-Why London is the perfect locale for launching a new venture
-The importance of having balanced personalities between cofounders

Check out the end of the episode, where Aleksandra talks about the future of VR and why it’s critical to not be afraid of who you are (and who you want to be).

Episode 14: Aleksandra Wozniak, Cleo

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The genesis of Aire, the vision Aneesh sees for the next 20+ years, and how to show value to investors along the way
-His own transient childhood as the son of the diplomat (and a journalist), and how the “start, restart” mindset led way to entrepreneurship
-Aneesh’s early activism, starting with an angry letter he wrote to Panasonic as a 16 year old to fix his MD player, and why he has always refused to accept “no” as an answer 
-What leadership truly means in an organization, and how his opinion has evolved over time
-The value of building a startup in London, especially if you know the fintech ecosystem
-Why having the right foundations means everything when starting a company, and why complexity at the beginning will only create more worries later on

At the end of the episode, be sure to catch Aneesh’s recommendations on top books to read as a founder and his response to the founder he would most like to interview (hint: it’s a new one!).

Episode 15: Aneesh Varma, Aire

In this episode you’ll hear about:
-Why innovation tends to happen at the cross-section of disciplines, and how Sparrho is helping foster that innovation
-Vivian’s childhood growing up in Australia (with parents working in education and publishing) where she discovered a love for science
-The “contained chaos” that happens when getting a PhD at Cambridge, and the opportunities for leadership that were there
-Why the occupational and cultural diversity in London will continue to drive problem solving and lead to the creation of more startups
-The state of entrepreneurship and venture in Australia
-How learning to program gave Vivian an appreciation for logic that went beyond her education in science

Be sure to check out the end of the episode, where Vivian succinctly sums up the best piece of advice she’s ever received, the question she’d want to ask Elon Musk, and why she’d want to interview small-scale entrepreneurs.

Episode 16: Vivian Chan, Sparrho

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Popular Pays evolved its product since its inception based on the feedback it got from its initial customers
-Why building a company on a mission is more important (and challenging) to Corbett that figuring out ways to simply make a profit
-His father’s own work on a startup, and how that helped Corbett learn more about term sheets, making connections, and raising initial funding
-How failure can teach you a lot about your appetite for risk, and how Corbett’s experience in advertising helped him build a thick skin
-The “graveyard” of ideas Corbett’s cofounder built while at Leo Burnett, and how it served as future inspiration for new ideas
-Why having a cofounder is a good way to hold yourself accountable and why picking the right one is the most important thing you’ll ever do

Check out the final few minutes of the show, where Corbett shares a few book recommendations and why he’d want to interview more recent startup founders than the traditional tech giants.

Episode 21: Corbett Drummey, Popular Pays

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Why Danielle and Michael decided to focus solely on younger founders, regardless of whether or not they attended university
-How starting a venture fund increased her empathy for entrepreneurs, particularly through fundraising efforts
-Danielle’s experience starting a charter school in San Diego, and why it was easy to fall prey to “imposter syndrome” during that time
-Her experience as an instrumentalist growing up and how that helped her learn to lead, direct, and give feedback to her peers
-Why previous execution is critical for applicants to the Thiel Foundation and for entrepreneurs looking for investments from 1517 Fund
-The correlation between alternative schooling and entrepreneurship

Stay tuned to the end of the episode, where Danielle shares why founders should read personal development books and her current interest in sensor-based technology.

Episode 22: Danielle Strachman, 1517 Fund

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Tradesy’s beginnings, and the little hacks Tracy did to build up both sides of the marketplace
-Tracy’s transition from artist to entrepreneur and how she dealt with all of the responsibility that came with it
-Why it’s important to pick activities that force you to learn-as-you-do them, and how Tracy took that to heart while living in Mexico
-What it’s like being a female entrepreneur running a female-centric business pitching to mainly male venture capitalists
-How Tracy originally bootstrapped Tradesy by renting out her room on Airbnb to cover initial costs (and how she ended up marrying her first guest!)
-How earlier hardships taught Tracy to never quit, even during the hardest of times, and why resilience is the key to success

Check out the end of the episode, where Tracy recommends her favorite books for entrepreneurs to read, the fields of tech she sees taking off, and, of course, the founder she most would want to interview and why.

Episode 23: Tracy DiNunzio, Tradesy

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How the idea for Pressbox started from Vijen’s aim to simply make life easier, and the other ideas he entertained before settling on dry cleaning
-Vijen’s experience in high school reselling Cubs tickets at a lofty margin, and how that sparked his urge to be an entrepreneur
-Why math was the center of Vijen’s life, and how this logical framework showed him how to create change (including how to lose weight)
-How attending Notre Dame shaped Vijen’s perspective and future career by providing Vijen with future mentors for Pressbox
-Why Vijen believes passion inspires others to help you, and why it’s critical to find something that you truly believe in
Bootstrapping versus raising venture capital, and how the former makes you a much smarter money manager

Stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Vijen shares a Chicago startup he really loves (looking at you Mark Lawrence) and we talk about the incremental improvements that can be made in healthcare.

Episode 24: Vijen Patel, Pressbox

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-CMG’s evolution from its initial site, Who What Wear, to the conglomerate it’s become today
-How Katherine ensures CMG remains close to the consumer, and why its critical to the company’s success in light of fashion’s globalization
-Katherine’s early entrepreneurial endeavors that included putting on (paid) shows for the neighborhood and creating faux restaurants with her toy kitchen
-Her previous aspiration to be a film producer, and why she doesn’t think she now could handle the slower pace of that industry
-Why Katherine decided to move to LA on her own at 16, and the decision to forgo college in favor of gaining work experience
-The path she took before becoming the West coast editor of Elle Girl at a mere 24 years old

Be sure to stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Katherine shares her favorite LA companies, why she’s a fan of Beautycon, and, of course, the founder she most would want to interview and why.

Episode 33: Katherine Power, CMG

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The opportunity Alex saw for humans to amplify the results of machines, and how Scale API plans to act on it
-Growing up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, the birthplace of the Atomic bomb, and how its emphasis on science impacted Alex’s childhood
-How working at Addepar and Quora before college influenced Alex’s career, and how that led to his taking a leave of absence from MIT
-The thought process behind starting Scale API, and why Alex and his cofounder Lucy Guo were going to start it whether they got into Y Combinator or not (but they did!)
-What Scale API looks for when hiring, and why they feel comfortable betting on smart, inexperienced candidates
-Why having a passionate initial user base, even a small one, is critical to creating a successful company

Catch the end of the episode, where Alex shares a startup he is a big fan of (hint: it’s a London-based one) and the best advice he took away from being a part of Y Combinator.

Episode 34: Alexandr Wang, Scale API

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Ezza stores plan to operate, and the thought process that went into the details behind the customer experience
-The benefits of starting a business while obtaining an MBA, and how Chicago Booth’s New Venture Challenge helped make things happen
-What it’s like to work inside of 1871, Chicago’s technology and entrepreneurship center
-Kim’s ability to bring people together, ranging from full-scale performances when she was young to an outhouse team race in South Dakota to pizza trolleys for MBAs (myself included)
-Why Ale finds ways to continually challenge herself, even in activities not related to work
-The most surprising aspects of entrepreneurship that each woman has learned thus far

At the end of the episode we’ll chat about the startup both founders love in Chicago, in addition to the person they’d most want to interview and why (it’s a new one to boot!).

Episode 36: Kim Marsh & Ale Breuer, Ezza

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Why Fred and his cofounder Russell decided to leave Europe and come to San Francisco to create their company 
-Fred’s family tradition that inspired him to think creatively about problems, even when he was a child
-How Rainforest tries to incorporate diversity in its culture, and why it’s important not to reward office politics
-Why working weekends doesn’t translate to more success, and why you have to always believe in your own approach 
-Why the main job of a founder is to endure the bulk of the stress for the company, and why employees shouldn’t always look to them for the right answers
-Fred’s main motivator, and what success will look like for Rainforest

Though it’s a longer than normal episode, be sure to catch the end of the show. Fred shares two favorite startups (one of which is a future podcast interviewee!), and how his family’s iMac inspired Fred to be a designer.

Episode 37: Fred Stevens-Smith, Rainforest QA

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Mantas uncovered this opportunity and the initial applications Accelerated Dynamics is focusing on
-Mantas’ response to people who might have concerns about unmanned drones that are programmed with artificial intelligence applications
-Why Accelerated Dynamics is based in London, and how being in a top rated accelerator like EF helps startups receive funding
-Growing up in Lithuania, and how studying in Spain broadened Mantas’ perspective on what he wanted to do
-Both of his parents’ small-scale entrepreneurial ventures, and how Mantas spent his childhood building and designing for fun

Hear the end of the show, where Mantas shares some startups he loves in London and of course, shares the founders he most wants to interview and why.

Episode 39: Mantas Gribulis, Accelerated Dynamics

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Why simulations have advanced in recent years, and why enterprises should utilize them for more scenarios than ever before
-How Simudyne plans to first go after the financial services market while other sectors’ technology catches up
-Why London has the best ecosystem for startups with a financial focus, even over New York, and why it’s not just due to the close proximity to banks
-Jonathan’s experience teaching math after attending Cambridge, and why he was chosen as head of the department
-How helping others for a few months and attending hackathons built Jonathan’s London network
-The early days of Simudyne pre-Techstars and the office perils they originally endured before entering the program

After Jonathan shares some colorful stories about office life, be sure to listen to the end, where he tells me a London startup he loves and the founder he’d most want to interview.

Episode 41: Jonathan Baker, Simudyne

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The opportunity Tia sees in the market for women’s health, and why the company is focused on millennial women
-Carolyn’s perspective on raising funding as a female founder of a women’s healthcare company
-How Tia is a hybrid of both her parents, particularly her mother, whom she grew up attending Planned Parenthood meetings with
-Where the name “Tia” comes from, and how Carolyn and her team thought of the entire persona behind “her” 
-The grand vision behind Tia and why Carolyn decided to make the initial focus on birth control
-How Carolyn’s time at Google gave her the right background to rethink how people access and engage with information platforms

Listen at the end, where Carolyn shares her favorite startup brand and, as usual, who she would like to interview and why (it’s a new one to boot).

Episode 42: Carolyn Witte, Tia

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Tovala controls the entire end-to-end experience of each meal, from sourcing the ingredients to creating unique recipes with its in-house chefs
-David’s background in the food industry, and how he found himself creating Tovala shortly after arriving at Chicago Booth
-How the advice David received from the founders of Airbnb helped him go after such a bold idea
-The decision to go through Y Combinator after winning Booth’s New Venture Challenge, and how it gave the Tovala team an excuse to focus on nothing but the business for a few months
-The benefits to growing an IoT startup in the Midwest, and how it has allowed Tovala to rapidly scale 
-How David’s parents, who are both Iranian immigrants, molded his ideas on entrepreneurship and healthy eating

Catch the end of the show, where David shares another Chicago startup he’s a fan of and the founder he’s most keen to interview.
P.S. Thanks to 52 Founders alumn Kevin Marvinac for the intro!

Episode 43: David Rabie, Tovala

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How the Pioneer Square Labs model works, and why the team views the people that eventually run the company as the true founders
-What qualities PSL looks for in these founders, and why domain knowledge is key
-The startup ecosystem in Seattle, and why the big tech incumbents are largely to thank for it
-How Taunt currently operates, and the future monetization strategy the company sees playing out
-How Startup Weekend played a pivotal role in both Ben and his father’s careers
-Ben’s advice to budding entrepreneurs about working for a large tech company before starting something of your own
-Why accountability is critical to having a great career, and the best thing Ben’s ever read on the topic

Check out Ben’s Seattle startup pick (outside of PSL companies) at the end of the episode, in addition to hearing us both geek out about Amazon.

Episode 44: Ben Gilbert, Pioneer Square Labs

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The story behind ShieldPay’s origin, and why the company isn’t targeting the friends and family transaction space
-How many UK startups use the country as a testing ground for ideas before scaling out into alternative markets such as the U.S.
-Why Pete decided to enter the Techstars Barclays accelerator, even though he -already was a serial founder
-How aspirations to play professional rugby eventually led Pete to a career in media, and later, his first startup venture
-Why raising too much capital can kill a startup, and what to consider when accepting venture funding
-How playing sports for the majority of his life instilled in Pete the importance of diversity on teams

At the end, Pete shares another London startup he’s a big fan of, in addition to the entrepreneur he’d most want to interview (hint: he’s also from the UK).

Episode 45: Pete Janes, ShieldPay

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-Rebecca’s time spent living in Lima, Peru working with female entrepreneurs, and why she left to go to Kellogg School of Management
-How Rebecca’s friends’ experiences with “mom guilt” inspired the idea for Wise Apple
-Why Wise Apple chose to go after the consumer segment of the problem rather than the B2B side (i.e. school supplied lunches)
-Rebecca’s take on why Chicago is a great place to disrupt older industries, and her views on overall startup community (as a Chicago native)
-How Rebecca fought her way into her elementary school’s gifted program herself after she was initially passed over (as an 8 year old!)
-The importance of learning great from a young age, and how you can continue to grow even as you get older

Check out Rebecca’s pick for her favorite Chicago startup and the top people she would want to interview if given the chance (hint: one has already been interviewed on this show).

Episode 46: Rebecca Sholiton, Wise Apple

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How May’s travels to Asia while living in Abu Dhabi inspired the creation of Qordoba, in addition to growing up as a non-native English speaker
-Why the company is named after the historic Spanish city Cordoba during the time of the Enlightenment, and examples of how language has continually unified people
-How being the oldest of eight children prepared May for being a CEO and allowed her to embrace her feminine leadership traits
-Moving from Lebanon to Canada with her family at the age of five, and how her parents’ entrepreneurial behavior became second nature to May
-How seeing the hard aspects of her father’s venture taught May some of the most important tenants of business
-How May inspires loyalty at Qordoba among her employees, and how having an international team creates empathy

At the end May shares the San Francisco startup she loves (and uses at Qordoba) and the founder she most wants to interview (hint: he’s one that crops up a lot on this show).

Episode 47: May Habib, Qordoba

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Loftium was inspired by Yifan’s own experience when she and her husband moved to Seattle and started renting out a spare bedroom
-The new market Loftium has created for home buyers, and the company’s initial traction since its recent launch
-The pros and cons to growing a real estate, and fintech, focused start up in Seattle
-Yifan’s parents' emigration from China, and her memories of when they purchased their first home
-What Yifan’s first venture, Pact, taught her about motivating users, why she decided to recently shut it down, and what she plans on doing differently this time around
-The skills Yifan learned from going through Techstars with Pact, and why she decided not to go through it again with Loftium

Catch the end of the show, where Yifan shares the Seattle startup she loves, and the founder she’d most want to interview (it’s a new one)!

Episode 48: Yifan Zhang, Loftium

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-The autonomous vehicle stack, and why companies aren’t building everything in house
-Why Carmera decided to build its headquarters in New York versus the Bay, and the benefits of doing so
-The entrepreneurial genes that run in Ro’s family, and why his parents ended up leaving India to come to the States
-When Ro started thinking about entrepreneurship as a viable career option, and how it relates to the immigrant mentality
-The differences between operating at an early stage startup versus creating your own, and the unrelenting stress that comes with the latter (even when the -cause is good)
-How the CEO of a startup should think about allocating his or her time, and why working smarter is a must

Be sure to check out Ro’s picks for his favorite NYC startup, in addition to the operator he’d most want to interview.

Episode 49: Ro Gupta, Carmera

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Electric was born from Ryan’s own frustrations with IT in his previous company, and why he was on the look out for hardships during that time
-Why Ryan decided to start his next company in NYC vs SF, where his former company Swarm was headquartered, and the big takeaways he learned from running his past startups
-Ryan’s first childhood career aspiration (which draw chuckles from me) and how filmmaking eventually inspired his interest in entrepreneurship
-How some professional athletes have parlayed their talents into new ventures, and why passion projects are always a great place to start creating
-Ryan’s reasoning for attending college after already having success in his late teens, and how he views education during the hiring process
-The qualities that make for a great hire at Electric, and why persistence is hands down the best attribute an entrepreneur can have

Listen as Ryan shares a New York startup he really loves (so much so that he personally invested), in addition to the “founder” he’d most want to interview and why.

Episode 50: Ryan Denehy, Electric

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Andela’s cofounders, Christina and Jeremy Johnson, came together over shared values and vision about the opportunity in Africa
-What it was like pitching to early stage investors, and why it was critical that they accompanied them to Africa to see the magic firsthand
-The company’s headquarters in Lagos and New York, and why both cities have benefitted Andela thus far
-Christina’s father, who emigrated from Germany, and how her parents instilled in her a global mindset from a young age
-Her experience as an educator, starting first as an idealist in Clark County, Georgia then to the West Bank and Southeast China, before finally heading to Nairobi and Kenya
-Christina’s thoughts on the traditional education system, both in and outside of the U.S., and how Andela is fixing it for those who need it most

Be sure to listen through the end, where Christina shares the African startups to watch, and the reason why she’d want to chat with Elon Musk.

Episode 51: Christina Sass, Andela

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
-How Atlas operates on the ground, and how Mickey, who’s from New York, discovered this opportunity halfway across the globe
-The challenges to building a company in West Africa, and why it was critical that the team lived there when they first were getting started
-Mickey’s childhood growing up in Westchester, and why he originally aspired to become a marine biologist
-His earlier forays into entrepreneurship, including a TV show entitled "The Candidate", and why Mickey ultimately decided to attend law school
-The evolution of Mickey’s founder journey, starting from attending monthly NYC Tech Meetups to meeting with the investment team of Alibaba, and how grit played an integral role in the process
-What’s been the most surprising part of entrepreneurship thus far, and why the benefits ultimately come down to the people you work with and create products for

Check out the end of the (final!) episode, where Mickey shares the best piece of advice he’s ever received, in addition to the startup he loves and the founder he’d most want to interview.

*FINALE* Episode 52: Mickey Costa, Atlas

A weekly podcast series with tech entrepreneurs that aims to uncover the founder's DNA.

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