Founders are the linchpin of a startup. They are the central foci, the lifeblood. The buck stops with them. But how can you tell the difference between a good and a bad founder? And how can you avoid being a bad one? Don’t worry, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here this week to discuss 9 differences between good and bad founders, based on a recent article Chris wrote. The differences are: 🔍 Good founders focus on solving important problems for customers while bad founders mainly concentrate...
Feb 19, 2024•37 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Today we have a special bonus interview. The tables have turned and Yaniv finds himself being interviewed by Ben Wirtz. Together the duo discuss: 🚀 Early Leadership Lessons: Yaniv's Google journey began with an early leadership role, emphasizing efficiency and effective communication. 🎓 Inspiration from Mentors: Insights from Oliver Heckman instilled high standards and fostered a culture of psychological safety, nurturing Bernstein's leadership skills. 💡 Innovative Problem-Solving: Ya...
Feb 18, 2024•57 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast $7 TRILLION!?! It’s the number everyone has been talking about this week. Here to break down the latest tech news are the insiders: Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer of Uber, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein. This week they discuss: 💰💡🤔Sam Altman's Ambitious Bid: Rumors swirl around Altman's purported $7 trillion funding quest for a new AI chip company, sparking debates on its feasibility and strategic implications. 🚀💻🏆NVIDIA's Dominance: With NVIDIA's AI chip dominance in mind, Al...
Feb 14, 2024•38 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Hybrid work. One of the biggest points of contention in the tech startup landscape right now. Some startups seem to thrive with the arrangement while others suffer culture implosion and perish. Navigating the post-COVID work landscape involves grappling with the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work setups. Don’t worry, this week, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here to discuss what you need to know to allow your team to flourish no matter the circumstance: 🤝💼🚗In-person Work: Fosters...
Feb 12, 2024•46 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Should Congress apologize to Mark Zuckerberg? If you haven’t been living under a rock recently, major tech company CEOs have been hauled into Congress to discuss child safety and moderation on their platforms. What does it mean? Is Congress right to really drill down on these CEOs? What else could Congress be doing to really change the current climate to protect our kids while also protecting democracy and free speech? To debate the hottest topic in tech this week is Emil Michael, former Chief B...
Feb 07, 2024•55 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Startup founders are often preached to follow neat frameworks and one-size fits all prescriptions. Here to say “embrace the mess” is John Cutler. John is a well-respected thought leader in the startup world. He is currently the Senior director responsible for product enablement at Toast. John has previously held the position of product evangelist at Amplitude and numerous product management roles over his fascinating career arc. Most importantly, John is the author of the long running newsletter...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast 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 like...
Jan 31, 2024•45 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jan 29, 2024•30 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast 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. ...
Jan 24, 2024•40 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast 🤔Should founders care about building a personal brand? Isn’t there enough “real work” to be done that posting on LinkedIn is a total waste of time? We don’t think so and neither does Michael Houck, a founder and investor who has built his personal brand to create Houck’s Newsletter, which is read by 75,000+ founders every week. Prior to focusing on his newsletter, Houck founded a startup that raised $15M from a16z, co-founded an early stage venture firm, and was part of the early team at Airbnb...
Jan 22, 2024•43 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast It’s one of the first questions people ask when they hear of startups. What makes startups different from usual businesses? Recently Chris found himself in a debate about the differences between traditional businesses and startups. As a result he created a document and shared it with his followers about the similarities and differences. Fortunately, this week on The Startup Podcast he and Yaniv debate the commonalities, differences and how startups drive disruption. Together they discuss: 📈 Obj...
Jan 15, 2024•47 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast The Insiders are back for 2024 and hasn’t it been a big week of controversy in the tech world! Here to break it all down is Emil, Chris and Yaniv. This week they discuss: 🔍 Carta's Privacy Clash: Carta, a software company, faces allegations of privacy breaches, using customer data for a secondary business. The CEO's response sparks criticism, highlighting the conflict between Carta's ventures and customer interests. 🧠 AI and Copyright Dilemma: The trio explores the tension between AI creativit...
Jan 10, 2024•43 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to our first episode of 2024. We’re excited to be back and be sharing such a riveting episode to kick off the year! Today we have the pleasure of welcoming special guest, unicorn founder and CEO of Mercury, Immad Akhund. Mercury offers banking and credit cards for ambitious companies and was founded in 2017. With Chris and Yaniv, Immad shares his insights from scaling after finding product-market fit and how the journey has brought diverse challenges. In particular they discuss: 🚀 Mercu...
Jan 09, 2024•49 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast 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 inspi...
Jan 05, 2024•40 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast 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 special...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast 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 choic...
Dec 18, 2023•40 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Antitr...
Dec 13, 2023•43 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Dec 12, 2023•37 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Dema...
Dec 06, 2023•42 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 05, 2023•40 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast 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 numb...
Nov 29, 2023•47 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast 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 former Chief Business Officer of Uber, 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 Par...
Nov 27, 2023•41 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast 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. ...
Nov 22, 2023•49 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast 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 is...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast 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 their ...
Nov 17, 2023•50 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast 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, how t...
Nov 14, 2023•52 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Nov 08, 2023•51 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast 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 si...
Nov 04, 2023•55 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast 🌟 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 si...
Oct 26, 2023•45 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast 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-Packa...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast 
