Episodes

Taylor Swift on a startup podcast? It’s not for her ERAS tour, nor is it for the Kansas City Chiefs upcoming Super Bowl game. Listen to the insiders discuss the biggest developing stories this week: 🚀 Navigating the Volatile Fundraising Landscape: A challenging fundraising environment in 2023 post-tech bubble burst, characterized by high rates and volatility. Optimism surfaces in 2024, but with caution—expectations of smaller valuations and round sizes. Founders urged to prioritize metrics...

There’s a fair bit of sentiment in the startup community at the moment purporting that B2B2C is better. Chris believes it is not. Joining Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein on The Startup Podcast to discuss their startup as a case-study is special guest Matt Holme, CEO and Founder of YouPay. YouPay is an ecommerce payment platform that pivoted from B2B to B2C over its lifetime. Together they discuss: 🚀 YouPay's Evolution: Starting as a B2B platform facilitating payment for others' shopping carts...

The insiders are back this week to discuss the hottest topics coming out of the tech and startup ecosystems. This week Emil, Chris and Yaniv discuss: 🔍 Carta's Controversial Pivot: Carta halts its secondary business sharing private company data with investors following backlash. The hosts dissect the situation, critiquing Carta's response and exploring potential alternatives. 💹 Cryptocurrency ETF Impact: Bitcoin experiences a minor dip post-ETF announcement, aligning with predictions. Ether...

This week we are sharing another one of our most popular episode of 2023 featuring Nir Zavaro. The lessons contained in this episode are so important to refresh with in 2024. We’re all storytellers. It’s the way we first begin to learn and it's the way we have communicated important information for thousands of years. However, it is the skill we practice the least. As startup operators, if you were a better storyteller imagine what you could accomplish. You would be able to engross and inspire ...

We’re back this week with one of our most popular episodes of 2023, featuring April Dunford. Product positioning will make or break your startup. Go toe-to-toe with multinational trillion-dollar behemoths and the likelihood of success is minute. Restructure your approach to target a different group and you can one-day “dab [your] tears with the money”. Researched ways on how to develop your product position and still feel stuck? Don’t fret! Yaniv and Chris are back this week with a super speci...

2023 is winding down. You’re no doubt preparing and strategizing for 2024. You’ve listened to our recent episode on being more efficient in 2024 but now you’re at the pointy end - making the tough decisions on what to focus on. Feeling stuck? Not sure which way to turn? Don’t worry, Chris and Yaniv are here to end your decision paralysis! In this episode they cover: 🔍 Decoding Decision Challenges: Chris and Yaniv explore the complexities of decision making in the startup world, where poor...

Google caught faking? Is the economy back? Are US colleges anti-Semitic? There’s been some major developments in the tech ecosystem this week. Don’t worry! Emil, Chris and Yaniv are here to unpack it all including: 🤖 Google's AI Deception: The team delve into Google's Gemini, an AI model that initially wowed with live commentary on videos but later revealed an unexpected twist—AI responses stitched together from still images, raising questions about transparency and progress. ⚖️ Google's Antitru...

This episode is the MOST IMPORTANT podcast episode you will listen to in December. Contrary to popular opinion, saving money DOES NOT mean sacrificing progress. Planning your attack for 2024? Chris and Yaniv are here to dispel the myths and strategise for maximum output while minimizing costs in the latest episode of The Startup Podcast. Together they discuss: 🎯 Clarifying Company Strategy: Define a clear and focused strategy to guide your company's mission. Learn how to trim costs without ...

What did Elon say? Leading the Silicon Valley chatter this week are comments Elon Musk made during an interview with Andrew Sorkin. Emil, Chris and Yaniv break it down and the flow-on effects on paid social networks while also exploring: 🚀 Elon Unleashed: Emil, Chris and Yaniv discuss Elon Musk's unfiltered behavior, especially on Twitter. They also explore how his lack of self-censorship and tendency to "troll" impacts his vision of an open platform and its perception. 🔋 EV Demand Dip: The t...

VC fundraising. A crucial way to rapidly expand your startup. The best VC relationships will elevate your startup to another level while poor ones can make your startup lame. This week on The Startup Podcast, Chris and Yaniv venture into the shadows of fundraising as founders expose harrowing tales of dealing with unscrupulous venture capitalists. 🕵️‍♂️ 🤝 False Promises: Some VCs masquerade as venture studios, luring founders with promises of substantial support in exchange for hefty equity. I...

Data is radioactive. Handle it appropriately and you can harness its extreme power for your startup. Don’t and the promised invaluable insights will decay and destroy it! Thankfully Chris and Yaniv explore the art of data-driven decision-making in this week’s episode of The Startup Podcast. Listen as they investigate: 📊 Choosing Wisely: Use product telemetry data for insightful product decisions, steering away from the common trap of relying solely on business metrics like revenue and user n...

He’s back! Sam Altman returns as CEO of OpenAI, less than a week after being fired by the board. Today on The Startup Podcast, Emil Michael also returns to the pod with Chris and Yaniv to discuss the latest OpenAI drama. Together they explore: 🤝 Leadership Dynamics at OpenAI: Uncover the compelling narrative of Sam Altman's departure and return as OpenAI's CEO, exploring the nuances of board decisions and the impact of employee protests. 🌐 Managing AI Partnership Risks: Delve into the Micros...

When is it the right time to shut down your startup? Join Chris and Yaniv in this insightful episode featuring Gabor Cselle, the founder of the once-promising T2/Pebble, as he candidly shares the story behind the decision to shut down his startup. Facing the uphill battle of funding challenges and operational struggles, T2/Pebble, a Twitter alternative, ultimately reached a crossroads. Cselle walks us through the tough realization that the opportunity cost of persisting outweighed the benefits...

On the 17th of November OpenAI announced on their blog that Sam Altman was fired. This sent shockwaves throughout the startup ecosystem worldwide. What happened next was even more fireworks. Greg Brockman, the other co-founder was removed as president of the board then Mira Murati was appointed interim CEO. Greg quit as well as four other senior people. Investors including Microsoft has been in the dark and Mira Murati and has since tried to bring Sam and Greg back to OpenAI. So what the hell ...

How do you improve your mental health? Today continues the important discussion we started with Mike Filbey, founder of Pepper and former co-founder of ButcherBox surrounding mental health. To help guide us on the ins and outs of founder mental health is expert coach Georgia Dienst. Georgia has spent her career working with high performance people at Google, Google X and Kernel. In this eye-opening conversation, Georgia sheds light on the formidable challenges founders face in maintaining the...

OpenAI DevDay 2023. A conference that sent reverberations throughout the startup ecosystem worldwide. Welcomed back on The Startup Podcast to discuss and debate it all are Jeremiah Owyang, general partner at Blitzscaling Ventures and founder of Lama Lounge, and Ben Parr, founder of Octane AI, AI Insiders deeply embedded in the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. With Chris and Yaniv they explore the top takeaways from the OpenAI DevDay. From why GPT-4 Turbo is light-years better than GPT3.5, ho...

Brace yourself for a masterclass in app evolution as Andres Glusman, founder of DoWhatWorks shares 15 years of wisdom gained at Meetup, where experimentation was the key to their monumental growth. Discover the hidden truth that most experiments fail, but when they succeed, the impact is colossal. The secret? Thoughtful experimentation. It's about testing specific hypotheses, not just throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks. Experiments go beyond correlation, establishing ...

Are you a product manager, wanting to become or know more about product management or hire one? Embark on a riveting expedition into the dynamic world of product management as Chris and Yaniv unveil the 17 extraordinary traits that catapult Product Managers to the pinnacle of success. 🎨 Picture this: Product Managers as the User Whisperers, tapping into the deepest needs and desires of their audience. 💡 They're not just guided by buzzwords but wield the power of common sense, keeping it simpl...

🌟 Imagine sharing in the triumph and value of a startup's success! It's the magic potion that aligns every employee's heartbeat with the company's vision. Discover why options, with their tantalizing tax benefits, are the darlings of the startup universe but why they can also screw employees. In this week's electrifying episode of The Startup Podcast, we dive headfirst into the world of employee equity and ESOP with Jason Atkins, co-founder of Cake Equity - a startup that simplifies how startup...

How do you hire a PM? 💭 How do you empower product designers? 🙌 What is the Domain Dogma trap? 🤔 We’ve gone into the vault and polished another one of our most popular episodes. Marty Cagan joins Chris and Yaniv to discuss what he sees as the biggest risk to building a successful product. It’s not choosing the wrong problem, it’s building the wrong solution! Marty is as close as the world of product has to a public intellectual: after decades spent building impactful products at Hewlett-Pac...

Gaza Strip. Events are evolving rapidly. The Startup Podcast is fortunate to be hosted by Chris and Yaniv who’s personal backgrounds provide a unique opportunity to share both sides of the Gaza War. This is a raw and unfiltered conversation. We hope this provides a balanced discussion in the midst of the current conversation. Our thoughts go out to all who have been touched by this tragedy. The Pact Honour The Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: F...

We’ve received a lot of questions from the last few episodes. It’s time Chris and Yaniv answer them! This Q&A episode they explore: When should you quit your day job to go all in on your startup? When should we raise? We have got advice from VCs to raise early before it gets complicated to show interest in our platform. I’m sitting on the fence whether we should raise it as it takes a bit of agility and liberty away from us but I understand the benefits that the network accelerators/ VCs coul...

Are you lying to yourself? Are you really aiming for greatness? This week Chris and Yaniv dive deep into the psyche of startup founders. Discover the harsh truth that a lack of conviction in your vision can lead to self-sabotage, compromising your business through misalignment, poor decision-making, and lost credibility. Are you settling for "good enough," or are you pursuing greatness with unwavering faith in yourself? In this thought-provoking discussion, learn why being ruthlessly honest ...

Today is a very special episode. This week on The Startup Podcast, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Mike Filbey, founder of Pepper and former co-founder of ButcherBox. Mike's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. He catapulted ButcherBox to soaring heights, amassing over $500 million in revenue. Yet, beneath the glitz and glamour of startup success, lay a harrowing truth. Driven by relentless ambition, Mike pushed himself to the brink, working grueling hours to meet colossal growth targets....