Welcome to "Funds & Founders: Untold Journeys Behind Their Breakthroughs," where we dig deep into the stories of successful Austin founders. Instead of focusing on their successes though, we dive into their journeys, particularly the struggles and obstacles they had to overcome. This weekly podcast is tailored for Austin founders navigating the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey and hosted by fellow Austinite Abhinav Sinha. Here’s what to expect by tuning into Funds & Founders: 🚀 ...
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Building a Multimillion-Dollar Agri-tech Empire | Nikhil Dixit - E32
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In this captivating episode of Funds and Founders, Nikhil, CTO and co-founder of Hylio, shares the inspiring journey of building an innovative drone company. From their initial focus on drone delivery to pivoting into agricultural applications, Nikhil reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating cutting-edge drone technology. Tune in to discover…
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Raising Millions for the Future of Sustainable Farming | Jessi Roesch - E31
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In the latest episode of Funds and Founders, Jessi, founder of Downland, reveals how agrotourism and regenerative agriculture could revolutionize land management and food production. Discover how matching landowners with next-generation land stewards can restore landscapes and create sustainable business models. Tune in to explore: - The journey of…
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Building a Feature vs Creating a Product | Simran Singh - E30
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Simran Singh narrates his entrepreneurial journey from his college days at Duke University to co-founding Zogo, a financial education platform which was eventually acquired by Peak Six. He elaborates on the challenges of early-stage startups, the pivoting of Zogo, and decision-making processes related to product development and market targeting. Si…
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The Evolution of South by Southwest (SXSW) | Hugh Forrest - E29
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Having been with SXSW for 35 years, Hugh Forrest, the Chief Programming Officer and Director of the Interactive Section of South by Southwest (SXSW), shares the origins and growth of Austin's largest conference and festival. He discusses the event's roots in 1987, modeled after the New Music Seminar in New York City, and its evolution into a major …
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Scaling, Hiring, and Building Strong Teams | Vikas Punna - E28
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Vikas is an experienced entrepreneur, advisor and the Managing Director of Frisco Analytics. In this conversation, he discusses the importance of selecting good advisors and how he identified gaps in the tech consulting space to grow his successful company later acquired by Huron. Vikas gives insights on how to build the right team, and sales strat…
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3 Steps Every Startup Should Immediately Implement | Vinay Chandrasekaran - E27
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Vinay Chandrasekaran, founder of Frontek Solutions, Crayon’d, and Layerpath, shares his fascinating journey from learning HTML as a teenager in India to becoming the CEO of a successful SaaS company. Vinay delves into his entrepreneurial motivations, experiences at Zoho, and the essential role of community, mentorship, and resilience. He also discu…
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The Iron Triangle: Integrating Product, Engineering, and Design | Alberto Silveira - E26
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Alberto Silveira is a seasoned engineering leader with a diverse career spanning companies like IBM, Kaplan, Amplify, OnDeck, and currently, HireVue. He is also the author of the book, Building and Managing High Performance Distributed Teams. Alberto discusses the differences between leading small and large engineering teams, the importance of crea…
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Why You SHOULD NOT Follow Your Mentor | Aaron Trahan - E25
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Aaron Trahan, founder of Performance Mindset Coaching, discusses the fundamental differences between a coach and a mentor. Aaron shares his journey to becoming a coach, emphasizing the importance of having a coach for achieving personal and professional breakthroughs. The conversation delves into identifying signals for needing a coach, finding the…
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Community Building, A Harvard Study’s Take on Fulfillment, and The 4 P’s of Mentoring | YJ Lin - E24
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YJ Lin is a key player in the Austin startup ecosystem. He graduated from the University of Houston and is deeply involved with communities like Ascend Austin and the Executive Council Network. Currently, he is the Chief Fun Officer of York's Game Pieces, and Senior Program Manager at Dell for Startups. Over the past decade, YJ has orchestrated cit…
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Customer Discovery, Validation, and Acquisition for Early-Stage Growth | Jeff Eversmann - E23
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Jeff Eversmann is an experienced design engineer, fractional CFO at Miranti Growth, and GP at Longview Tech Ventures. Drawing from his career across various high-level roles, Jeff explains the continuum from product market match to alignment and finally to fit. He discusses examples, especially Uber's market strategy, and elaborates on how early-st…
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Robotic Delivery, Co-Founder Dynamics, & Seeking Feedback | Ben James and Dylan Mankey - E22
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Ben James and Dylan Mankey from Tubular Networks discuss their journey from their initial meeting at HomeAway to co-founding Tubular Networks. Ben shares his extensive background in product management, having worked at companies such as National Instruments, VRBO, and Magic Leap, while Dylan talks about his engineering leadership roles with experie…
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Humanity and AI, Embracing Serendipity, and the Art of Storytelling | Mark Fallows - E21
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Mark Fallows is a seasoned advertising professional and founder of Fabrica Collective. He is also a creative collective based in New York, now operating from Austin. Mark shares his early career journey in advertising, including his roles at Oracle and McCann, and his motivation behind founding Fabrica Collective. He emphasizes the importance of li…
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Building TeleSign, Registering a C Corp, Navigating Acquisitions, and Utilizing Cybersecurity | Stacy Stubblefield - E20
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Stacey Stubblefield is a former entrepreneur in residence at Curious Minds Inc, who co-founded TeleSign, a company born out of the incubator. Stacey shares her unconventional journey from considering law school to embracing technology and entrepreneurship, leading to the creation and eventual acquisition of TeleSign by BICS. Stacey discusses the ch…
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Reimagining Media Consumption, Podcasting and Advertising | Sky King - E19
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Sky King shares his journey from being a digital marketing specialist to founding his own company, Modern Stoa. King discusses his early career, his experiences with companies like Onnit and Aubrey Marcus, and his transition into the podcasting world with creations like 'Creator of Curiosity' and 'Sky King's Mental Playground.' He dives into the im…
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Unshackled: An Immigrant’s Guide to Thriving in the US | Soundarya Balasubramani - E18
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Soundarya Balasubramani, an NIT Trichy and Columbia graduate, writer, and founder of Unshackled.club, details her journey from India to the U.S. Her career shifts from Salesforce to entrepreneurship, and even ventures into writing, including her blog Curious Maverick and books 'Admitted' and 'Unshackled'. The discussion spans her motivations, the i…
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Navigating a Venture Debt Approach as an Early Stage Founder | Chris De Ayala - E17
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Chris De Ayala, a UT McComb School of Business graduate working in banking, specifically in venture debt at the Bank of California shares insights into the role of venture lending, emphasizing its value to VC-backed startups by offering non-dilutive capital to extend their runway post-equity rounds. He details the ideal timing for startups to seek …
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Is Your Product Solving the Right Problem? | Jake O’Shea - E16
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Jake O'Shea, currently a Principal at Antler in Austin, delves into his rich background in the startup ecosystem. With experiences ranging from director roles at Capital Factory to mentoring at accelerators, Jake discusses the vibrant startup ideas and trends in Austin, emphasizing the ubiquitous role of AI in modern software development. He sheds …
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Product Leadership, Sales, & Pricing in B2b SaaS | Mike Ditson - E15
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In episode 15, Mike Ditson joins us today to talk product management, sales, and innovation! Currently, Mike is the VP of Product Strategy at Envato Group and a lecturer in product management. He shares valuable insights on the importance of sales for product leaders, how to approach building a competent sales team, especially for founders without …
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Navigating Acquisitions, Saying ‘I Don’t Know’, Embracing Randomness | Ken Platt - E14
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Episode 14 features Ken Platt, an experienced entrepreneur and advisor with a rich history in operations, supply chain management, and startup leadership. Ken shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey that began later in life, sparked by his exposure to diverse businesses during the Y2K project era. He details his evolution from corporate pr…
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What You Need to Get Right to Nurture a Successful Mentorship | Scott Finkelstein - E13
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Scott, a seasoned C-level executive, draws from a diverse background in business leadership and organizational transformation. Originally aspiring to a career in finance, his trajectory shifted after witnessing the events of September 11th, leading him to navigate a path of resilience and mentorship. With a strategic vision and executive acumen, Sc…
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Financial Modeling, Profitability & Raising Venture Capital for Startups | Lauren Pearl - E12
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Lauren Pearl is a Fractional CFO/COO and Advisor who graduated from Boston University and NYU Stern where she did her MBA. She has a rich background in financial modeling and has a unique perspective on growing profitable startups. She is a 2x founder and recently started Pearl and Elmore, an offsite programming company. She was the Director of Str…
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Finding the Lessons in Messy Situations | Curtis Dean - E11
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Curtis Dean is the founder and creative director for Strangers Only, a lifestyle clothing brand and is also a coach helping people maximize their potential and design the lives they want. He is a positive thinker with a unique perspective on life. He has spoken at Soho houses and shared his deep knowledge on various topics. Key Takeaways: Identifyi…
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Trust is a Commodity, Hiring for Culture vs Skill Set, & Change Management | Steven Puri - E10
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Steven Puri is a multipreneur who launched his career in the film industry and is also the founder of Sukha Company, previously known as Centred. He started Centropolis Effects. a CGI company then exited and has held multiple senior roles in big film companies like 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks. He is a chief strategist and has supported various …
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Establishing a CPG Athleisure Brand, Calculated Risks, and Aligning with a Co-Founder | Daniella Rosa - E9
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Daniella Rosa is the founder of Aiea Golf, an athleisure lifestyle brand for women golfers. She also was the owner and designer of cutclothing.com. Daniella has held various marketing roles in her career in the auction industry. As she hit the ceiling in her career she made an instant decision to switch and start a brand and this has been a great l…
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Tony Robbin’s Peak Performance Strategist on Overcoming the Top 3 Fears in Sales | Brian Mayoral - E8
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Brian Mayoral has been the number one peak performance strategist for Tony Robbins for over six years and is currently the CIO and founder of his agency called Sellup. As an avid sales manager and leader early on in his career, Brian joins us on Funds and Founders to discuss what he’s learned when it comes to selling yourself, common fears entrepre…
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Immigrating to the States, Building Community, & Establishing Brand Value | Lekan Olude - E7
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Lekan Olude is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur best known for co-founding Jobberman, West Africa's leading job search engine. In 2021, he founded Motherboard, a comprehensive employee benefits platform, further solidifying his impact on the Nigerian business landscape. He’s a previous guest on the podcast in which we wanted to continue the co…
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What Founders Underestimate About Building a Startup | Saleem Ahmad - E6
1:29:52
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In this episode, serial entrepreneur, investor and founding partner of Anti-VC, Saleem Ahmed, joins us in an engaging discussion about his transition from an unfulfilling career in engineering to founding successful startups. In addition to Anti-VC, Saleem founded Jrop and Zown. Today, Saleem discusses what many founders tend to underestimate about…
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Market Validation, Sales & Co-Founding Job Machine | Brandon Tigges - E5
1:02:18
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In this episode, Brandon Tigges, the CEO of Job Machine, shares his journey as an entrepreneur, and the valuable lessons that have shaped his career in sales and marketing. He portrays the picture of a resilient military child. He gives an insight into his transformative experiences in creating a failed marketing agency and then working for a robot…
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Building Intuitive Problem-Solving SaaS Products | Bret Siers - E4
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In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Training Layers, Bret Sears. He shares his entrepreneurial journey, from running a financial services company to building TrainingLayers, a ground-breaking software training platform. We delve deep into the learning curve involved in building a SaaS product from the ground up and how Bret navigated t…
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Austin’s Startup Ecosystem, Building a Personal Brand, Finding Mentors & Venture Capital | Marc Nathan - E3
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Marc Nathan is the Vice President of Client Strategy at Egan Nelson LLP, specializing in Emerging Technology and Venture Capital. With a robust background in the Texas Technology and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) startup community, he serves as a mentor to early-stage startups, providing expertise in fundraising strategy, connecting with investors,…
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Scaling to A Million Users: Jobberman Job Board Giant | Lekan Olude - E2
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Lekan Olude is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Jobberman, West Africa's leading job search engine. Born and raised in Ogun State, he pursued his education at Obafemi Awolowo University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. With a diverse career that includes experiences at Goldman Sachs and TeleMo…
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Transforming Politics into Fantasy Sports: Fantasy Elect | Justin Schoenfelder - E1
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Justin Schoenfelder is the CEO and Founder of Fantasy Elect, a platform that merges the fantasy sports experience with politics, allowing users to compete for bragging rights and cash. He is also a co-host of the Bully Pulpit podcast and has a strong passion for learning. With a diverse background in executive coaching, real estate development, ind…
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The Untold Stories Behind Their Breakthroughs
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Welcome to "Funds & Founders: Untold Journeys Behind Their Breakthroughs," where we dig deep into the stories of successful Austin founders. Instead of focusing on their successes though, we dive into their journeys, particularly the struggles and obstacles they had to overcome. This weekly podcast is tailored for Austin founders navigating the ear…
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continue reading