What does it take to found a globally important company in these times? We’re interested in what happens before universally-acknowledged success. Join Brett Kistler as he engages in deep conversations with business leaders from emerging markets, being vulnerable about their experience in the early- to median-stage moments of their founding journey.
Hyperspec CEO Sravan Puttagunta is on an ambitious mission: to make self-driving cars think like humans, not machines. With recent advances in available computational power combined with some very clever machine learning algorithms, Hyperspec is enabling robots to think critically and contextualize the world more like humans do, removing the need for pre-defined maps and opening up new possibilities. As Sravan explains to Brett what it’s like to build an AI that approaches human consciousness, they also reflect on what it means to think like a human, and how that can inform the cultures we cultivate and the companies we build.
9/28/22 • 41:19
Early stage startups cannot afford to rest on their laurels. In order to scale and grow a business sustainably, business leaders have to make wise decisions about how to direct their resources and where to focus their efforts. Hamish Livingston, Head of Product at Willo, knows that well. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to discuss how Willo is managing to scale their asynchronous video interview platform in today's competitive market while keeping the Willo team agile and capital-efficient. He discusses how the product team assesses and prioritizes feature suggestions and leverages the advantages of outsourced developer resources to build a product that clients want to pay for. Listen in to learn how Willo is changing the game in video interviewing, and get a peek at some of the lessons Hamish and his team have learned along the way.
8/11/22 • 41:02
How did I end up here?In today's episode, we speak with ChainSafe's VP of Product & Project Management Amer Ameen about overcoming difficult life challenges while building a tech startup.Whether it's an unfulfilling career, a failing relationship, getting laid off or even all of the above, difficult life challenges are inevitable. How you deal with those challenges is what matters.We discuss how to make these life challenges a catalyst for personal & professional growth.
6/9/22 • 37:26
Taylor Cole has always boldly followed his curiosity. As a BASE jumper and CRW (synchronized maneuvers under skydive canopy) pilot, he gained an interest in the forces that effect wings - and so he went to grad school to study fluid mechanics. During his career in the Navy, he has put his creativity to work, using math to capture bad guys, perform analyses, and lead a research lab. When he discovered that he himself has an auditory processing disorder, he started exploring immersive environments that engage multiple senses in concert… which led him to found Burble Creativity. Burble Creativity is creating portable environments that use audio and visual elements together to engage both hemispheres of kids’ brains in immersive experiences. Early research shows promise for education and therapeutic applications, not just for auditory processing disorders, but for a whole slew of others, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He joins Brett Kistler on the podcast to share the incredible story behind this new technology, dive deep into what might drive some people toward adventure sports, discuss the under-recognized power of a neurodivergent mind, and more.
6/7/22 • 56:24
For non-technical would-be entrepreneurs, getting a tech startup off the ground can be especially challenging. In today's episode, we speak with Sendoso co-founder & CEO Kris Rudeegrapp.Kris was a sales guy who saw an unmet need around sending gifts as a way to engage with prospective clients throughout their buyer journey. We discuss how he self-funded the company with just $25K and scaled it to over 500 employees and a $100M Series C.Join us today to learn all the nitty gritty details.
5/3/22 • 28:14
Building a business using cutting edge technology often means your business may not have a clear or immediate revenue model. How does this reality change your business strategy?Volograms Co-Founder & CEO Rafael Pages started his company as a university research project in 3D augmented reality. In today's episode, we discuss the unique challenges associated with building new deep tech without a clear revenue path. We discuss options including starting as a services provider, fundraising and building early stage teams.
3/29/22 • 44:04
Product pivots are an inevitable reality for early stage tech startups. Understanding how to build, manage and scale early stage engineering teams while embracing the inevitable product pivot or code rewrite is a critical factor in getting your biz to escape velocity. In today's episode, Brian Gupton discusses these realities with Izicap's CTO Tancho Markovik. Learn how Tancho scaled one company from 6 to 125 devs, how he adjusts his interview process for early versus later hires, how he manages internal expectations around technical debt and much more.
3/24/22 • 45:32
Business accelerators can be valuable resources for entrepreneurs. Traditionally, they have provided a space to attend expert talks and workshops, make valuable connections, and test your idea alongside other would-be founders. But how can a founder best capitalize on this opportunity? Miriam Schwab from Strattic has some ideas. She joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to discuss when to consider paying a fee or trading equity for space in an accelerator, the benefits and limitations of online-only accelerators, how to maximize your value from the workshops offered, and more. She also delves into other topics, including finding the right business partner, scraping together your first MVP, and recruiting your first set of clients and investors. We were fortunate to have an established professional like Miriam join us to share her insights, and we really encourage anyone who has considered joining an accelerator to give this one a listen. For 80% off your first year with Strattic, use https://www.strattic.com/clearview/
3/17/22 • 43:04
Alex Price and the team at Ecologi have an ambitious mission: to cut the world's carbon emissions 50% by 2040 through the power of collective action. Bold projects require bold people, and Alex has learned some interesting lessons along the way. He joins Brett Kistler on the podcast to discuss the scaling abilities of a business over a charity, the power of transparency in hiring great people, what to look for in a mentor, how to avoid burnout, and so much more. Ecologi is a project with a lot of heart, and it shows in this interview. We hope you'll join us.
3/15/22 • 31:41
Being part of a startup rather than an established business has a unique set of challenges and opportunities. It can be a big, risky leap both professionally and personally. Thankfully, there are people like Aaron Cheng who have done this a time or two. Prior to taking on his current role as Chief Product Officer for Felix Health, he already had extensive experience building and scaling large tech teams across a myriad of industries. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to share some key insights with us, including the importance of setting and measuring goals even as a hard-to-predict startup, what to look for in first product hires, how to determine whether you need a product manager or project manager, and more.
3/10/22 • 42:32
When a business has been trucking along nicely for (30+) years, it can be tempting to avoid rocking the boat. But in today's rapidly-changing world, not only does that boat need to be rocked, sometimes it's time to replace the sails with a jet motor! When Patricia Hume joined Canvas, she was up for the challenge. She brought 20 years of C-level experience to her new role as CEO, ready to lead Canvas's strategic vision into the future. She joins Brian Gupton on the show to talk about her experience, including the challenges of moving from a perpetual license model to subscription software while retaining clients, managing internal resistance to change and maintaining team rapport, securing funding for new ventures while supporting legacy products, and more. With Patricia at the helm, Canvas has big things ahead, and we're so glad she shared her insights with us.
3/8/22 • 39:52
On a very special episode of Founder Vision, Yurii Filipchuk joins Brian Gupton from his home in Kyiv, mere kilometers from the active warzone, on the 8th day of the Russian invasion. Yurii and two cofounders (who were themselves displaced by conflict in 2014 and now again in 2022), formed Party.Space as a way to create virtual “microverses” - VR environments for events, conferences, and parties. When your real world is under pressing threat, what is the creator of a virtual world to do? Yurii shares so much with us in this powerful interview. Topics include: - Day to day life under the shadow of war - How tech companies and everyday people can support the Ukrainian resistance, both virtually and physically - How the Ukrainian tech community is fighting - and winning - a “meme war” to destabilize critical Russian IT infrastructure and get real information to the Russian people. - How Ukrainian businesses are surviving, and how to support them - Differing responses within the Ukrainian workforce; ranging from crippling fear to “work therapy” All this and more. We hope you’ll give it a listen, and continue to listen to the people of Ukraine. Interview recorded 5:30pm Ukrainian time on Thursday, March 3.
3/4/22 • 27:05
Technical debt is the source of a lot of confusion, concern, and negative stigma in the startup world. It's the idea that taking a coding shortcut now - to meet a deadline, push an iteration, or for some other goal - will lead to more development work needed in the future. Non-technical founders may fear it, have trouble recognizing it, try avoid it, and unknowingly accrue it. Nael El Shawwa, Head of Engineering at Perpetua.io, has a different perspective. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to discuss how founders can thoughtfully - not recklessly - leverage technical debt to help move their vision forward. This thought-provoking conversation also digs into topics such as leadership - how to embrace it for yourself and how to identify and foster it in others; the current state of tech recruitment; and what can be gained and lost as we are siloed away from the office in remote work. We really enjoyed this conversation and think you will too.
2/12/22 • 46:00
Beginning and growing a startup is a resource-intensive process. It demands time, money, attention, and energy. In a world where all these resources are finite, how can founders prioritize their efforts for maximum results? Dennis Kelly from Postalytics has some ideas. He joins Brian Gupton to discuss strategies such as building a sales pipeline, identifying your core demographic, optimizing content, the benefits of releasing free software, and more.
1/13/22 • 41:50
Ciprian Spiridon knows a thing or two about startups. After all, in his role at AW Rostamani Group, he's responsible for the internal software house that serves the companies that make up AWR Group, from ecommerce retail to automobile services and beyond. Both as part of AWR Group and in his prior career as a software developer, he's had the chance to interact with startups and scaling companies from a vast variety of industries, and he joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to share some of what he's learned. Listen in to hear about the most important skill a founder can have, the value of "controlled chaos" in a growing company, his "golden rule" for nontechnical founders, and more.
11/24/21 • 37:01
When Daniela Tudor set out to create WEconnect, it was personal. As someone who is in long-term recovery herself, she saw the major barriers that people in recovery face as they try to change self-destructive behaviors. It can be difficult to stay accountable, find connection, and even to afford access to ongoing recovery support. She and her team at WEconnect are disrupting that pattern with their powerful mobile tool that challenges and rewards participants for creating healthier habits, provides one-on-one peer support, and serves as a safety net for members in crisis. She joins Brett and Brian on the podcast to discuss her journey in building a platform that has helped people from around the world with recovery from addiction. https://www.weconnectrecovery.com/free
11/18/21 • 33:40
In founding a business, improving a product, and generally keeping up with the fast pace of innovation in today's startup landscape, it's important to make the right decisions the first time around. For years, businesses have relied on quantitative (numbers-based) data to help them understand what's happened and try to guess where to go next. But so much information comes to us in shapes that are hard to punch into a spreadsheet. From phone and video conversations to open-field survey questions, a wealth of data gets overlooked because it can't be easily analyzed, which leaves leaders trying to make decisions from their inherently-biased personal judgment. Michael Bamberger and his team at Tetra Insights are tackling this problem with their powerful qualitative data mining tool. He joins Brett and Brian on the podcast to share some of the insights his team has unearthed and how doing the right research ahead of time can empower business leaders to stay ahead of the curve in today's demanding market. https://www.tetrainsights.com/
11/16/21 • 31:09
When Dr. Matt Wilson decided to leave a burgeoning career in clinical medicine to found medical research technology platform uMed, it was a leap of faith. All the moreso because his first attempt at a medical startup failed to take off. So what does it take to brush the dust off and try again? A heap of inspiration, a bit of luck, and the right mentors and partners around you. Matt and uMed's Head of Product Patti Ward join Brett and Brian on the podcast to share uMed's story. They dig into the need to fail gracefully, how to know when to pivot and when to stay the course, the importance of finding the right mentors on a startup journey, and more.
11/11/21 • 47:32
Ethan Glass's parking management service Ocra came from humble roots. As a parking operator managing spaces near the LA Coliseum, he saw firsthand just how fragmented, inefficient, and disorganized the industry was; every vendor had different methods for tracking inventory, adjusting pricing, and accepting payments. Not content with the status quo, Ethan began incorporating automations and technology to reduce slippage and operating costs. Then, like so many other startups, COVID-19 disrupted the industry. With in-person events (and thus, event parking) coming to a screeching halt overnight, Ethan and his team could have rolled over and quit. Or, they could get creative. Listen in as he shares the story of Ocra's pivot to build the world's first omni-channel management platform for parking operators, designed around real client needs from the ground up.getocra.com
11/9/21 • 30:45
The Team W understands how human psychology drives UX. After all, founder and CEO Susan Weinschenk holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin. This makes The Team W's expertise uniquely valuable to their clients, who are trying to optimize their offerings to guide customer behavior and interactions. But how do we know when we're nearing an ethical boundary, where optimization approaches manipulation? Susan joins Brett Kistler and Brian Gupton on the podcast to talk about The Team W's approach to ethics. She shares the ethical calculator that her son Guthrie Weinschenk created, and gets real about what it means to manage and grow a business as a parent-child team. theteamw.com ethicalformula.com
11/4/21 • 33:08
In building a top-notch product, it's all about communication. Ryan Quiring joins Brett Kistler and Brian Gupton on the show to share his journey founding and growing high-tech workplace safety management platform SafetyTek. He discusses how his team has applied the idea that "time with customers is never wasted." He digs into how client feedback not only allowed SafetyTek to refine and improve their offerings, but also uncovered some hidden values and strengths of the platform. He shares advice on how to find mentors and connect to the communities where clients are, how to approach fundraising (hint: it's not a sales pitch), how to maintain accountability and weed out toxicity on a startup team, and more.
11/2/21 • 47:29
Compliance-as-a-Service startup ETHIX360 might be new to the scene, but its founder and CEO J Rollins has some hard-earned experience to back it up. In his 25+ year career, he’s worked with tiny startups, massive corporations, and everything in between. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast today to share some incredible insights and lessons he’s learned along the way, including how to jumpstart a concept with limited capital, how to turn losses into learning, defining success as a startup, managing imposter syndrome, and more. He even lets us in on his silver-bullet interview question to suss out cultural fit with new hires. This one is so full of valuable ideas, we can’t possibly fit it all in one blurb. Guess you’re just going to have to join us! ethix360.com
10/28/21 • 43:09
It takes a village to... raise a startup? As we go through the journey of bringing a business from inception to success, it's important to be open to feedback: from trusted advisors, from would-be investors, from your team and community. But when everyone has an opinion, how do we cut through the noise? Debbie Fortnum has some ideas. As she and her cofounder built their AI workplace optimization platform Macondo Vision, they had to learn how to wade through all the (ofttimes-conflicting) advice they were getting and filter it down to just the most meaningful bits. Listen in for tips on incorporating feedback while remaining authentic to your vision, establishing boundaries, prioritizing your pitches, and more. https://www.macondovision.com/
10/21/21 • 27:58
If there's one thing Naman Mehrotra understands, it's how to be a global citizen. The child of expat parents, Naman grew up with firsthand experience of the digital nomad's struggle to manage issues like health insurance and retirement benefits when your job and your life transcend borders. When he met the team at SafetyWing, which is tackling that very problem, it was a natural fit. Naman joins Brett Kistler to discuss how his team is taking on such a monumental task (hint: one piece at a time). Not only does SafetyWing work with fully remote companies, but they are one themselves, so Naman has some great insight to share that is very relevant in today's job landscape. He delves into issues such as how businesses can maintain community and culture when most of their interactions are digital, what characteristics help remote workers succeed, best practices for maintaining quality communication across time zones, and more.
10/19/21 • 33:02
Sometimes a business is just an idea, and sometimes it's a calling. As Sasha Seymore joins Brett Kistler to share his story, it's easy to see how every step along the way led him toward founding Learn to Win. From early experiences uncovering the power of sports as a means of conflict resolution, to struggles memorizing plays as a college athlete, to a fortuitous reunion with an old friend (now co-founder) in grad school, Sasha has synthesized those experiences and passions to help bring Learn to Win where it is today. Learn to Win provides a platform for government agencies, sports teams, businesses, and more to build science-driven trainings and deliver the "last mile" of learning in an effective, engaging way. https://www.learntowin.com/
10/14/21 • 37:30
When COVID-19 emerged on the global landscape, Emmanuel Elmajian and his team at Spinzo were amongst the hardest hit. Their platform is designed to help teams and venues move unsold tickets using "crowd pricing" and incentive schemes, and overnight the in-person event world blew up. Venues were canceling and refunding their events haphazardly and no one knew what was coming next. Emmanuel joins Brett Kistler on the show to talk about how he leaned into his strengths - as a customer service-obsessed, tech developer first. Almost overnight, Spinzo rolled out a new product to address their customers' need to communicate the rapidly-changing situation to ticketholders, and have emerged from the early chaos of the pandemic charged up and ready to thrive. http://www.spinzo.com
10/12/21 • 28:08
We're doubling down on Founder Vision today. Kevin Mackey and Tim Metzner, two of the cofounders of Coterie Insurance, join Brett Kistler as well as today's cohost Brian Gupton - Clearview's own VP of Sales. Drop in to a fun, flowing conversation as the four explore a number of topics. Kevin and Tim discuss how they build teams that balance their members' strengths: the value of experience vs the fire of fresh ideas, the drive to push a new startup forward vs the steadiness to lead it in the long run. They discuss how they assess potential hires for their competency as well as for cultural fit, how to "disagree and commit" in the face of differing opinions, keeping their core values of humility and intelligence at the forefront, and so much more. https://coterieinsurance.com/
10/7/21 • 33:04
A common adage in founding a business is that you should begin with your exit strategy in mind. Nathan Kelleher understands that intimately; he helped found business verification platform Detected - in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, no less! - and within a year had stepped aside to let it grow without him. He is now focusing his energies as a cofounder and director at True Altitude, a UK-based venture capital fund. Through his experience starting and supporting new businesses, he's learned plenty of what to do - and sometimes more importantly, what not to do. He joins Brett Kistler on the podcast to give us a sneak peak into what he's learned, including establishing a new business culture when you're locked in your houses, knowing when to dig in and when to step aside, managing conflicts amongst founding teams, supporting the next generation of founders, and more.
10/5/21 • 33:57
How can we tackle big, challenging energy issues? By attracting a diverse, passionate team and putting that passion to use. Imran Noorani and his team at Peak Power are taking on the ambitious project of making the climate polluters part of the climate solution in a revenue-positive way. They design AI-powered energy solutions to help building owners put the environment on the balance sheet. He joins Brett Kistler to discuss how Peak Power strives to gel their diverse team together through JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) principles, transparent communication, practice-what-you-preach mental health support, and more. https://peakpowerenergy.com/
9/30/21 • 34:50
In 20+ years of working with startups and scale-ups, Matt Wilkinson has learned a few things. He joins Brett Kistler on the show to talk about how he is applying those lessons to his newest endeavor: SameSide (sameside.io). SameSide aims to remove the friction and time-wasters from business-to-business commerce by creating a solutions-based blueprint to tackle business problems, then linking businesses with the right experts and partners, the first time. It's a whole new way to approach B2B commerce, and attempting to shift such a massive industry can feel like a herculean task. Matt shares his philosophy about carving out a path for startup success, what inspires him to keep tackling this problem, and more.
9/28/21 • 29:31
