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Artwork for The Founder Initiative

The Founder Initiative

Adam ODonnell
Product-Market Fit
Venture Capital
Y Combinator
Fawn
Silicon Valley
Fundraising
Cofactory
Advertising Technology
Children
Funding Framework
Lucidlink
Neubird
Rinse
Ai-Powered Billing and Revenue Automation
500 Global
Investing
Feather Robotics
Covid-19
Data Science
Seed Funding

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes199Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyInvestingBusiness

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Artwork for The Founder Initiative

Latest Episodes

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: www.chargebee.com/startups James Wall, Founder of Phases.ai www.linkedin.com/in/j-m-wall/

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: www.chargebee.com/startups

FOUNDER PROFILE:

Scott Stevenson, Founder of Spellbook

www.linkedin.com/in/scottas

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focu... more

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focu... more

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Recent Guests

Oliver Keh
Founder of Gleam and Y Combinator participant
Gleam
Episode: (YC S23) Gleam Founder, Oliver Keh: Investigative Journalist Approach To PMF
Arvind Parthasarathi
Founder of Cygnvs and experienced entrepreneur
Cygnvs
Episode: a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC
Sandra Bustos
Founder of Meshly with over 10 years of experience as a GTM operator
Meshly
Episode: [Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch
Mercedes Bent
Former partner at Lightspeed Ventures, has extensive experience in consumer startups and venture capital
Lightspeed Ventures
Episode: [Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch
Ben Kim
Founder of Nitrode, an AI game development engine.
Nitrode
Episode: (YC W25) How To Nail Your YC (or any VC) Interview; Nitrode's Founder, Ben Kim
Jesse Zhang
Co-founder and CEO of Decagon, a company building AI customer service agents
Decagon
Episode: a16z Invested; $231M Raised Sub 2-years; Decagon's Founder, Jesse Zhang & Amex Ventures's Managing Director, Kevin Weber; Building & Funding Unicorns
Kevin Weber
Managing director of Amex Ventures, focused on early stage investments in enterprise software
Amex Ventures
Episode: a16z Invested; $231M Raised Sub 2-years; Decagon's Founder, Jesse Zhang & Amex Ventures's Managing Director, Kevin Weber; Building & Funding Unicorns
Steven Wang
Co-Founder of Dubb and former Harvard student.
Dubb
Episode: Harvard Dropout Builds Fastest Fintech App To Hit 1M Downloads, Raises $47M; Steven Wang, Co-Founder of dub
Sarthak Goel
Founder of Invoid, an Indian startup in the KYC automation industry
Invoid
Episode: (YC W21) Indian Startup Denied 3x by YC, Accepted 4th; Sarthak Goel, Founder of Invoid

Host

Adam O'Donnell
Host of The Founder Initiative

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 30 ratings
  • Full of of golden nuggets!!

    Fantastic podcast for anyone raising! So many great insights in all the episodes. Highly recommended

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ibrotzky
    Canada3 years ago
  • A must for first-time founders

    Extracting the most valuable advice from VCs and tech executives has helped shape my decision-making and saved me time as a first-time founder.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    c_huie
    United States5 years ago
  • Great content at a perfect length

    Just started listening to Adam’s podcast recently and can’t stop listening. He interviews a plethora of successful people, each with their own unique background, at a length that allows me to listen to a few or just one when I’m on the go. Looking forward to more!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jgrumby
    United States5 years ago
  • Adam is one of a kind

    Been listening to Adan’s work for about two years now and love it. He’s got a to the point approach that works so well to give you the top info in bite sized chunks. I’m a big fan

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JsosoSoto
    United States5 years ago
  • Tactical insights & top guests

    Adam does a great job of finding top VCs and CEOs that have been there before. I like how each episode is under 15-minutes and about one unconventional tactic or trend. Great stuff.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ikshit Pant
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many reviewers commend the diverse range of experienced guests, providing a well-rounded perspective on various challenges in building businesses.
Listeners appreciate the practical advice and insights shared by the hosts and guests, particularly valuing concise formats that facilitate learning.
The show's focus on actionable tips and techniques resonates with entrepreneurs looking for efficient ways to improve their startups.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#213
Indonesia/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF
Q: How did you raise your first dollar?
We originally started with an angel investor from the Toronto ecosystem who came in with a smaller check to help us get started.
($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF
Q: Is there any other deep insight that is contrary to what the standard advice has been over the past 20 years for startups?
If you're finding PMF, don't keep adding features to the same thing; build a new landing page and separate it from all the cruft of the past.
($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF
Q: If you had to summarize that time, what would you say is the single biggest insight that you had that would be helpful for founders to know?
You should actually launch separate landing pages that are totally disconnected from the past and moving to more of a point solution allowed us to have a simpler entry point and a simpler message.
($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and more
Q: Can you share like a 60-second intro that you would give if you started out a Zoom call with an investor that's like a warm to cold investor?
I would talk about Indomo targeting a massive problem in the marketplace with 20 million people suffering from inflammatory acne and less than 5% being able to access treatments due to dermatologist limitations.
($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and more
Q: What's the single biggest insight that you would share or like shocking thing that you learned during that time?
It's always hard, regardless of how great your idea is, how amazing your data looks, or how awesome your team is.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Founder Initiative

What is The Founder Initiative about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This series focuses on the challenges faced by founders in the startup ecosystem, particularly in navigating the journey toward product-market fit (PMF) and securing funding. With interviews featuring successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, each episode provides practical insights on topics like customer discovery, startup strategies, and lessons learned from their own entrepreneurial experiences. The show also addresses unique business models within various sectors such as tech, healthcare, and retail, with hosts engaging guests on how they overcame obstacles to achieve sustainable growth. Listeners can expect concise, impactful discussions designed for entrepreneurs eager to streamline their path to success.

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1. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
2. Prof G Markets

How many episodes of The Founder Initiative are there?

The Founder Initiative launched 5 years ago and published 199 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Founder Initiative?

Recent guests on The Founder Initiative include:

1. Oliver Keh
2. Arvind Parthasarathi
3. Sandra Bustos
4. Mercedes Bent
5. Ben Kim
6. Jesse Zhang
7. Kevin Weber
8. Steven Wang

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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