Founder Therapy with Maria Zhang: The Journey from Big Tech to Palona AI
Episode description
In this episode of 'Never Too Early,' host Lauren Ipsen, Talent Partner at Decibel, welcomes Maria Zhang, former VP of Engineering at Google and other major tech companies, who recently launched her startup, Palona AI. Maria discusses her new venture, her transition from corporate roles to founding a startup, key insights from talking to over a hundred customers, and the importance of building for the buyer. Maria also shares practical advice on building products, recruiting early teams, and navigating the complexities of go-to-market strategies for first-time founders.
00:00 Introduction to Never Too Early Series
00:29 Meet Maria Zhang: A Journey of Excellence
00:46 Launching Polona AI: The Stealth Journey
01:45 Deep Seek and AI Advancements
04:48 Building AI Agents with Personality
12:21 The Founder Journey: Challenges and Learnings
15:38 Forming the Dream Team
18:13 Mentorship and Startup Beginnings
18:48 Building a Founding Team
21:04 Hiring for Go-to-Market Roles
26:53 Balancing Recruitment and Sales
30:42 Navigating Venture Capital
35:44 Advice for First-Time Founders
37:41 Recommended Resources for Founders
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