Build In Public Podcast

Karthik Puvvada (KP)

The Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders and Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights and lessons. read less
BusinessBusiness
EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship

Episodes

Lessons From 30 million views on TikTok (ft. Chris Cunningham)
Jul 11 2024
Lessons From 30 million views on TikTok (ft. Chris Cunningham)
Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉Today's episode was live recorded in Austin where I interviewed Chris Cunningham at the SaaStock conference in May 2024.  Chris is a Founding Member and Head of Social Marketing for Clickup which is a workforce productivity platform that was last valued at $4b based in San Diego.Despite his massive social audience and influence across X, Linkedin and TikTok, Chris is one of my favorite people to talk to because he's fun, energetic and always experimenting with cool marketing moves.   In this episode, Chris and I talk about how Clickup succeeds in standing out in the noisy B2B social world, how to gain 30m views on TikTok, the "ABCD" framework he uses and his POV on brand building in general. Enjoy our authentic and curious conversation! Relevant links:My Twitter: https://x.com/thisiskp_Chris's Twitter: https://x.com/ChrisClickUpChris's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisclickup/Clickup Website: https://clickup.com/Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more
Strategy is how you win in startups [feat. Jason Cohen]
Jun 17 2024
Strategy is how you win in startups [feat. Jason Cohen]
Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉Today's episode was live recorded in Austin where I interviewed Jason Cohen at the SaaStock conference in May 2024.  Jason Cohen is a four-time entrepreneur across 24 years who has built both bootstrapped and VC-funded businesses in his career. He had two exits and two unicorns and has been writing for 17 years on the Internet. You may have seen him on X as @asmartbear or read one of his articles at this blog: asmartbear.comJason is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of WP Engine which is a startup unicorn that he started in 2010. The company raised over $300m in funding, has over 1,200 employees globally and serves billions of web requests daily for 200,000 customers as one of the top-ten largest web platforms in the world.  In this episode, Jason and I discuss why "strategy" matters, how it is the key driver to help you win at every stage as a startup, how to get your team rallied around this, what signs tell you it's working vs it's not and Jason's advice on evaluating feedback coming from multiple sources.Relevant links:My Twitter: https://x.com/thisiskp_Jason's Twitter: https://x.com/asmartbearhttps://longform.asmartbear.com/jason-cohen Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more
How I Landed My New Role At Paddle And The Story Of AI Launchpad (ft. Tharshan)
Mar 21 2024
How I Landed My New Role At Paddle And The Story Of AI Launchpad (ft. Tharshan)
Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉Today's episode features Tharshan Thavaharan who leads Partnerships at Paddle, a fintech company last valued at $1.4b where I also work now. In 2023, he started the AI Launchpad, a global founder program at Paddle which attracted 59 AI startups from 21 countries and in 6 weeks helped them accelerate their journey to find product-market fit, reach target audiences, and establish a financial base for scaling. Now he's passing the captain's armband to me and I'll be running this year's cohort. Applications open now, check out our site: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad In this episode, Tharshan and I discuss the behind-the-scenes story of winding down my previous edtech startup (BIPF),  how I ended up at Paddle,  what lessons Tharshan learned by running the AI accelerator, the types of companies who were part of it, the big focus for 2024 for us and more. Relevant links:AI Launchpad website: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad Tharshan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tharshant/KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthikpuvvada/Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.
Ariel Renous (CEO of Augment) on democratizing access to business education
Feb 27 2024
Ariel Renous (CEO of Augment) on democratizing access to business education
Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉Today's episode features Ariel Renous, co-founder and CEO of Augment.org.  Augment is a modern online alternative to the traditional MBA program. Augment's approach is to reshape education by leveraging online tools to offer high-quality business knowledge straight from the minds of the brightest business leaders. Partnering with experts in business education and world-class entrepreneurs from companies like Wikipedia, YouTube, Waze, and Shazam, they crafted an innovative MBA program. The fast-growing startup based out of Paris raised a $6 million funding round from top tier investors in 2023.In this episode, Ariel and KP discuss the founding story of Augment, the evolution of business education over the years, the power of cold emailing influential people in Silicon Valley, lessons from building in public and more. The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are: 00:00  Introduction03:09  Origin Story of Augment08:35  Cold Emailing Everyone in Silicon Valley12:20  The Power of Mission and Storytelling29:45  The Upside of Building in Public30:04  Lessons from Fundraising33:07  Building Augment36:14  Non-Zero Sum Game39:45  Finding the Right Idea45:09  Challenges Before Starting Augment52:04  Building a Team and Managing ChallengesRelevant links:Ariel's handle on X: https://twitter.com/ArielRenousAugment's website: https://augment.org/ KP handle on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKPPast guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 4 with Gary VaynerchukEpisode with Alexis Ohanian (Co-Founder of Reddit and 776 Fund)The Must-Have Qualities For You To Become A Successful Entrepreneur (feat. Sheel MohnotEpisode 10 with Kat ColeLife After One Of India's Biggest Startup Exits (feat. Phanindra Sama)
Jason Cohen on Missionaries vs Mercenaries and The Impact of Passion in Business
Feb 11 2024
Jason Cohen on Missionaries vs Mercenaries and The Impact of Passion in Business
Welcome to 2024's 1st episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉Today's episode features Jason Cohen, four-time entrepreneur across 24 years who has built both bootstrapped and VC-funded businesses in his career. He had two exits and two unicorns and has been writing for 17 years on the Internet. You may have seen him on X as @asmartbear or read one of his articles at this blog: asmartbear.comJason is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of WP Engine which is a startup unicorn that he started in 2010. The company raised over $300m in funding, has over 1,200 employees globally and serves billions of web requests daily for 200,000 customers as one of the top-ten largest web platforms in the world. In this episode, Jason and KP discuss the significance of passion, the role of writing in personal growth, and the story behind Jason's beef with the term "MVP" in startups :) The conversation touches on challenges entrepreneurs face, the difference between missionaries and mercenaries in business, and strategies for finding great startup ideas.The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are:00:00 Intro05:26 Jason's Writing Routine08:34 Redefining Product Development: From MVP to SLC23:25 The Power of Being Mission-Driven in Building a Company27:48 Finding Great Startup Ideas30:48 How to Select Between Multiple Business Ideas Effectively40:48 Finding the Perfect Work Companion: Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses in Hiring41:38 Tips for Maximizing Productivity and Authentic Engagement on Twitter51:38 Wrap-UpBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Note: If you loved the conversation or had questions/comments to share, please post on X or DM me directly :) Always hungry for feedback. Thank you!Links:Jason's handle on X: https://twitter.com/asmartbear Jason's blog:  https://longform.asmartbear.com/KP handle on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
How VCs Raise Money From Investors (LPs) feat. Gale Wilkinson
Dec 21 2023
How VCs Raise Money From Investors (LPs) feat. Gale Wilkinson
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Gale Wilkinson, founder and Managing Partner at VITALIZE, a seed fund and angel community investing in transformative WorkTech software and currently deploying capital out of a $23.4M Fund II and their 500+ member angel community.Previously founded IrishAngels, one of the largest angel groups in the world. Gale has led $70M+ in early-stage deals across 125+ portfolio companies, and she has made 50 personal angel investments.In this interview, Gale and KP delve into all-things VC and share their insights on topics such as:00:00 Intro03:02 The Work Tech Thesis04:53 The Kauffman Fellowship Experience05:47 Traits of a Great Investor07:26 The Shift in the Venture Landscape08:54 The Future of Venture Capital09:46 Investment Strategy and Criteria11:38 Lessons Learned from Fundraising13:04 Choosing the Right Problem to Solve18:32 The Discrepancy in Funding for Underrepresented Groups25:28 Advice for Founders34:53 Focus for the FutureBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts on this episode. Thanks for listening!Links:Gale on X: https://twitter.com/galeforceVCVITALIZE on X: https://twitter.com/VitalizeVCVITALIZE Venture Capital: https://www.vitalize.vc/KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
The Most Underrated Marketing Strategies (feat. Jess Chan)
Dec 13 2023
The Most Underrated Marketing Strategies (feat. Jess Chan)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Jess Chan, founder of Backbone, a platform designed to streamline email marketing for small eCommerce teams. She is one of the top retention marketing experts, with expertise in retention marketing through email and SMS.She previously founded Longplay Brands, a full-service retention & lifecycle marketing agency for DTC e-commerce brands. Jess bootstrapped the agency scaling to 7-figures in revenue in the first 18 months.In this interview, Jess and KP discuss various topics related to entrepreneurship and e-commerce such as:00:00 Intro02:18 Inflection Points and Drive to be an Entrepreneur05:22 Transition from CMO to Entrepreneur06:49 De-risking the Decision to Become an Entrepreneur09:18 The Pressure to Succeed and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking11:00 The Value of Failure and Learning from Mistakes12:19 The Perception of Risk in Entrepreneurship15:16 The Emotional Experience of Being an Entrepreneur17:12 The Importance of Long-Term Growth and Avoiding Short-Term Thinking19:20 Building Strong Foundations for Long-Term Success21:21 The Journey from Agency to Product Business24:21 Discovering the Opportunity for Backbone28:21 The Emotional Intensity of Running an Agency30:39 Appreciating the Malleability of Service-Based Businesses34:41 The Slow Compounding of Software Businesses35:56 The Role of Agencies and Services in Cash Flow36:23 Optimizing for Exit vs. Agency Model42:02 Retention Marketing Strategies46:33 Mistakes in Email Marketing48:27 Building a Strong Foundation for Business51:50 Ideal E-commerce Business to Purchase55:05 Rapid Fire RoundBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts on this episode. Thanks for listening!Links:Jess on X: https://twitter.com/jjesschanLongplay Brands: https://www.longplaybrands.com/Backbone: https://www.gobackbone.co/KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Lessons From Building a $100m Holding Company (feat. Michael Girdley)
Nov 28 2023
Lessons From Building a $100m Holding Company (feat. Michael Girdley)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Michael Girdley, CEO of a $100m/yr holding company and a serial entrepreneur for 20 companies over 30 years in San Antonio. Michael is also a partner at the Geekdom Fund, a seed-stage tech venture capital fund that has invested in over 50 high-growth tech companies. He has also built a 195k+ Twitter following and a newsletter with over 20k readers. Now he enjoys teaching and helping founders online and created The Complete HoldCo CourseIn this interview, Michael and KP go through a series of interesting topics such as:●     (00:00) Intro●     (04:11) How Michael got into entrepreneurship●     (05:43) Being a geek and its definition●     (08:33) Web programming with Java - first book Michael wrote●     (11:11) How it felt after writing a book●     (12:31) Michael as compared to a young Bill Gates●     (13:52) Working hard vs Doing what you love●     (14:58) Maintaining great output simultaneously●     (17:29) Going all in on one company●     (19:21) Michael’s experiences and lessons from Silicon Valley●     (21:39) Community as a necessity for founders●     (24:29) Michael’s favorite business heroes●     (27:19) Looking back through decisions and regrets●     (29:11) Advice to his 18 year old self●     (32:11) Rapid Fire Round with Michael GirdleyBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts about this episode. Thanks for listening!Links:Michael on X: https://twitter.com/girdleyMichael’s website: https://girdley.com/Michael’s Holdco course: https://holdco.girdley.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_ KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Top Strategies On Marketing And Launching (feat. Sachit Gupta)
Oct 17 2023
Top Strategies On Marketing And Launching (feat. Sachit Gupta)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Sachit Gupta - founder of Platforms Media, a company that offers services to help podcasters grow their audiences and monetize their showsHe has worked on campaigns with top podcasters like Andrew Warner (Mixergy), #1 NYT best-selling authors (Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Oren Klaff), and international sports stars (Rohit Sharma, Indian Cricket Team) and moreIn this interview, Sachit and KP give a masterclass on podcast and marketing, focusing on topics such as:●     Intro (00:00)●     What captured Sachit’s interest into doing podcasting (03:46)●     The great podcast launch playbook (08:41)●     What works best for podcasting (10:15)●     Strategies on marketing and launching (11:02)●     Landing top clients and huge gigs (15:45)●     Conversations with top creators’ teams (19:02)●     Story behind Creator’s MBA and lessons from it (23:15)●     The magic in implementation (27:09)●     Science of content business model (28:57)●     AI in content (30:41)●     Inspirations to draw from (36:40)●     Lessons from On Deck days (48:24)●     Advice for beginner podcasters (58:42)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts on this episode.Thanks for listening!Links:Sachit on X: https://twitter.com/sachitguptaPlatforms Media: https://www.platformsmedia.com/Creator’s MBA: https://creatorsmba.com/KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP’s podcast link: https://www.buildinpublicpodcast.com/episodesKP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Inside BIPF: How To Get World-Class Guests On Your Podcast (feat. Danny Miranda)
Oct 3 2023
Inside BIPF: How To Get World-Class Guests On Your Podcast (feat. Danny Miranda)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features a sneak peek of a Fireside Chat we had in our Build In Public Podcast Fellowship on the theme of podcasting and asking great questions. We were thrilled to have Danny Miranda share his insights on this topic.Danny Miranda is the host of The Danny Miranda Podcast (top 1%), and has talked to the world's greatest entrepreneurs & thinkers like Gary Vee, Seth Godin, Alex Hormozi etc. with over 400 episodes in his channel.In this interview, Danny and KP delve into all things podcast specifically topics such as:●     Intro (00:00)●     Danny’s current content and value-add (02:51)●     Huge internal struggles as a beginning podcaster (04:30)●     Realizations that led to start with podcasting (06:12)●     On consistency and putting in the work (07:43)●     What do great podcast questions look like (10:20)●     Bad questions and how to avoid them (11:25)●     Danny Miranda’s research process, then and now (12:50)●     Interview prep for celebrity guests (15:00)●     Keeping the passion (21:10)●     Dealing with metrics and going beyond them (23:33)●     Danny’s podcast guest that changed the game for him (27:16)●     What to do when a guest does not match the energy (31:00)●     Audio only versus Audio-video podcasts (33:27)●     On niching down (38:04)●     Podcast growth analysis (41:12)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts about this episode.Thanks for listening!Links:Danny’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/heydannymiranda The Art Of Interviewing: https://www.artofinterviewing.com/Danny’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/dannymirandaKP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Can Beehiiv Become A Billion Dollar Newsletter Startup?
Sep 26 2023
Can Beehiiv Become A Billion Dollar Newsletter Startup?
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Tyler Denk, CEO of the multi million dollar start-up Beehiiv - a newsletter platform that helps creators launch, scale, and monetize their newsletters.He and his co-founders were able to grow Beehiiv to $4M in annual revenue and raise tens of millions of dollars from top-tier investors.In this interview, Tyler and KP talks about a wide range of topics covering tips, tactics and insights such as:●     Intro (00:00)●     Lessons from Tyler’s move from Morning Brew to Google (00:17)●     What made him take the leap to Google (6:06)●     On Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief’s relentlessness and leadership traits (10:06)●     Beehiiv’s origin story (12:06)●     The behind-the-scenes of building Beehiiv (17:33)●     Beehiiv’s MVP and its killer features (21:41)●     Barriers met and insights from building in a saturated category (24:39)●     What makes Beehiiv different (31:03)●     Other possibilities for Tyler if it were not building Beehiiv (36:21)●     The most underrated aspect about newsletters (39:52)●     Rapid Fire Segment with Tyler Denk (48:08)●     Steps Beehiiv took in becoming a VC-backed startup (49:41)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Would love to hear your thoughts.Thanks for listening! Links:Tyler’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/denk_tweetsBeehiiv on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beehiivBehiiv website: https://www.beehiiv.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
How To Leverage Community In Bootstrapping Your Startup (feat. Lloyed Lobo)
Sep 20 2023
How To Leverage Community In Bootstrapping Your Startup (feat. Lloyed Lobo)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Lloyed Lobo, an entrepreneur, podcast host and community builder, who experienced the Gulf War as a young refugee in Kuwait, witnessing the strength of communities in evacuating the population to safety.He is currently the founder of Boast AI -  a software that integrates financial, engineering, and project data to increase the speed, accuracy, and size of eligible tax incentives. In this interview, Lloyed and KP share their profound thoughts and opinions on various topics such as:●     Intro (00:00)●     The Dubai tech scene (01:06)●     Realizing the power of community (04:42)●     Company vs Journey vs Destination (10:22)●     Appreciation for companionship (11:42)●     How to Build relationships and network (13:50)●     Advice to first time founders (17:31)●     How to overcome trust deficit and build customer confidence (21:04)●     The framework of leveraging community-led growth (21:57)●     Two kinds of community (27:52)●     Why a lot of people struggle with consistency (21:01)●     Finding your purpose as key in community-building (43:35)●     How to cold pitch for an influential speaker (45:05)●     What’s next for Lloyed (56:19)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening! Links:Lloyed’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/lloyedloboBoast AI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoastCapitalFrom Grassroots to Greatness website: https://www.lloyedlobo.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
A Founder’s Mission Beyond Their Startup (feat. Neil Thanedar)
Sep 12 2023
A Founder’s Mission Beyond Their Startup (feat. Neil Thanedar)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Neil Thanedar, the founder & solo GP of Utopic, a pre-seed VC fund investing in biotech startups led by scientist CEOs.He is also the founder & chairman of Labdoor, a consumer watchdog with $7M+ in funding and 20M+ users, and Air to All, a 501(c)3 nonprofit medical device startup.In this interview, Neil and KP delve into a wide array of insightful topics, specifically about:●     Intro (00:00)●     How Labdoor came about (01:23)●     Labdoor’s success and its brand awareness aspect (07:56)●     Transfiguring B2B to B2C (09:49)●     The potential of fractionalizing and democratizing startups (10:39)●     How Neil’s dad influenced and inspired him (11:52)●     What Mittelstands are and their role in the startup world (13:55)●     A founder’s mission beyond their startup (17:07)●     Startup politics (18:02)●     Imagining the ideal POTUS (22:39)●     The role of YC in Neil’s career (28:40)●     Struggles of scientist CEOs (30:46)●     The power of writing in public (33:05)●     Hidden ambitions and obsessions (37:08)●     Desire on finding the front door for founders easier (47:48)●     Aspiring founders vs. Ambitious founders (50:20)●     What’s next for Neil Thanedar (56:28)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts in the comment section.Thanks for listening! Links:Neil’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeilThanedarUtopic Ventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UtopicVenturesUtopic Ventures website: https://utopicvc.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Million Dollar Exits Ep.11 with Mac Martine: The Most Important Task Of A SaaS Founder
Sep 5 2023
Million Dollar Exits Ep.11 with Mac Martine: The Most Important Task Of A SaaS Founder
Welcome to the eleventh episode of “Million Dollar Exits” - a special series brought to you by The Build In Public Podcast.This episode features Mac Martine, a bootstrapped SaaS founder who recently had a life-changing exit for his business that he grew from 0 to $58k MRR in just 30 months.Building apps since 2008, he began his journey with multiple failures and recently had a highly successful exit.In this interview, Mac and KP explore a range of startup-related topics, sharing their experiences and perspectives on:● Intro (00:00)● How Mac started his founder journey and went from zero to exit (02:50)● Realizations Mac had upon reaching $50K MRR (04:03)● An advice to his younger self (08:25)● The zero to one dilemma and how founders can navigate it (16:06)● Hope, momentum and everything they represent (20:46)● What Mac did differently that led him to success (22:38)● The patterns that stood out from Mac’s interactions with possible customers (24:54)● How he validates products and features (28:35)● Why talking to people is the most crucial thing a founder can do (31:31)● The varying and evolving opinions of customers (33:37)● What’s next for Mac Martine (34:36)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening!Links:Mac Martine’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/saasmakermacThe SaaS Bootstrapper Newsletter: https://www.thesaasbootstrapper.co/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
The Ultimate Advice For Startup Founders (feat. Adam Draper)
Aug 24 2023
The Ultimate Advice For Startup Founders (feat. Adam Draper)
Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Adam Draper, Founder and Managing Director of Boost VC, which is an early-stage venture capital firm with $200m AUM.Adam is a 2x entrepreneur and a 4th generation venture capitalist who comes from a family of highly influential leaders including his dad, Tim Draper, who made investments in Skype, Tesla, Bitcoin and more.In this interview, Adam and KP explored a wide variety of topics such as:●     Intro (00:00)●     Paying it forward and asking for what you want (3:50)●     How building in public does your business a huge favor (11:00)●     What qualities set apart great founders (16:57)●     Why mission-driven founders are more likely to succeed (18:54)●     Infectious ambition and raising its ceiling (24:38)●     The right mindset and working harder (27:20)●     Tribute to Adam’s father, Tim Draper, on his brilliant strategic thinking (32:50)●     Self-sovereignty and what it means in tech (36:02)●     The possibilities of universal LLC (38:41)●     What’s up next at Boost VC (43:21)●     The kind of founders Adam wants to connect with (44:27)●     Adam’s take on expanding human endeavor (45:46)●     Brainstorming as the new age of podcasting (47:56)●     Leaning into what personally feels wondrous (48:53) Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening!Links:Adam’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamDraperBoost VC on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC’s website: https://www.boost.vc/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP