Founder Insights
36 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago -Bringing you interviews, stories, and insights from a community of startup experts
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Episodes
Mindstorm Ep. 6: Defeating Productivity Guilt - How to Work Smarter & Happier
September 27, 2019 17:01 - 19 minutes - 44.5 MBProductivity guilt. Every entrepreneur has felt it: that gnawing sense that every moment of your day needs to be filled with work. In our newest episode from the Mindstorm series, Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) is back with Josh Whiton (Founder of Makesoil). Together, they discuss how startup founders can balance their work life with their personal wellbeing. They dive into: Their experiences with productivity guilt and how they’ve tried (and sometimes failed) to find balance Methods ...
Unfiltered Ep. 5: Reviewing Transportation Ideas, Med-Tech Startups & More
September 23, 2019 16:07 - 32 minutes - 73.3 MBIt's another episode of Unfiltered! From prescription monitoring tools to radical keyboards, Rachel Sheppard (Founder Institute Global Marketing Manager), Mike Suprovici (EIR), and Ryan Micheletti (Head of Operations) review startup ideas and pull no punches. Together, they have decades of startup experience and have advised hundreds of rising Silicon Valley companies. In our Unfiltered series, they use that experience to provide feedback for startups of any stage of development. Here is an...
Mindstorm Ep. 5: Founder Well-being, with special guest Ben Chong
September 18, 2019 16:00 - 21 minutes - 49.8 MBIn our newest episode from the Mindstorm series, Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) is joined by a special guest: Ben Chong. Ben is a founder, an advisor to dozens of startups, and one of Australia's top tech investors. Currently, he serves as a partner at Right Click Capital. Together, Adeo and Ben discuss how startup founders can balance their mental health and wellbeing with the stresses of being an entrepreneur. They dive into: The methods to determine that you may need help Small dai...
Coach Mike: Riskiest Assumption Tests
September 13, 2019 17:19 - 26 minutes - 60 MBIn the next episode in our Coach Mike series, producer Drew Zias is joined by Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR). Together, they discuss how to test whether or not your startup idea is worth building, by using the Riskiest Assumptions Test. They address questions like: What is a Riskiest Assumptions Test (RAT)? How do they compare to MVPs? How do you build a strong RAT? How do you handle a RAT that invalidates your idea? What are examples of good RATs (other than Ratatouille)? and m...
How to Fund Radical Startup Ideas, with Peter Diamandis
September 11, 2019 15:42 - 1 hour - 138 MBAs technology advances at an exponential speed, there are amazing opportunities for entrepreneurs to build radical businesses that positively impact society. On this recently recorded Q&A webinar, Dr. Peter Diamandis and Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) discuss how an entrepreneur with a big vision can raise funds, find investors, and explore alternative funding routes. Peter, named one of "The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune Magazine, is the Founder/Co-founder of the XPRIZE Foun...
Mindstorm Ep. 4: Innovating with the Heart and the Mind
September 09, 2019 19:32 - 37 minutes - 85.3 MBIn our newest episode from the Mindstorm series, Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) and Josh Whiton (Founder of MakeSoil) discuss how you can balance your heart and your mind as an entrepreneur. They cover 'gut instincts', empathy, and other heart-based concepts that are often underutilized in entrepreneurship, and how we can harness those to live more fulfilled lives & improve the world. If you have a pre-seed startup and you're looking to join an accelerator, see if FI is accepting applic...
Coach Mike: How to Succeed as a Non-tech Founder
September 05, 2019 17:35 - 35 minutes - 81.8 MBIn the third episode in our Coach Mike series, producer Drew Zias is joined by Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR). Together, they discuss how to build products and bring those products to market as a non-technical founder. They address questions like: Do you need technical cofounder? How do I screen and onboard remote devs? What about outsourcers? How do I turn my MVP into a product if I lack the expertise? How do I work with developers and share my vision with them? and more! For ...
Mindstorm Ep. 3: Manifestation and the Power of Thoughts
September 03, 2019 16:55 - 37 minutes - 85.8 MBIn our newest episode from the Mindstorm series, Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) and Josh Whiton (Founder of MakeSoil) define manifestation within the framework of mindfulness and explain how it can impact the lives of entrepreneurs. They discuss how to interpret the universe's signs and how to determine whether or not you are on the right path, both in life and entrepreneurship. f you have a pre-seed startup and you're looking to join an accelerator, see if FI is accepting applications ...
Coach Mike: The Four Rules of Raising a Friends & Family Round
August 27, 2019 17:13 - 28 minutes - 64.5 MBIn this special episode - the second in our ‘Coach Mike’ series - producer Drew Zias is joined by Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR). Together, they discuss the mechanics of raising a Friends and Family round. It's sometimes the first round of funding, and a round where much can go wrong. Mike lays out four critical rules to follow, to avoid those issues and secure early inside investors: Do your research into what typical friends & family agreements look like. Manage the investor's ex...
Mindstorm Ep. 2: How to Identify and Solve Humanity's Largest Problems
August 22, 2019 18:13 - 30 minutes - 70.6 MBThere's no shortage of problems in the world, and we believe that entrepreneurs have the potential to solve many of them. From health crises to political instability to climate change, major human challenges can often seem daunting and hopeless, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In our new Mindstorm podcast series, featuring Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) and Josh Whiton (Founder of MakeSoil), share their journeys in mindfulness and their thoughts on how entrepreneurs can sol...
Unfiltered Ep. 4: Reviewing Growth-tech ideas, Ambulance drones, and more
August 20, 2019 16:07 - 37 minutes - 86.1 MBWe're back with another episode of Unfiltered! From growth marketing management tools to life-saving ambulance drones, Rachel Sheppard (Founder Institute Global Marketing Manager), Mike Suprovici (EIR), and Jon Greechan (Cofounder of the Founder Institute) review startup ideas and pull no punches. Together, they have decades of startup experience and have advised hundreds of rising Silicon Valley companies. In our Unfiltered series, they use that experience to provide feedback for startups o...
Mindstorm Ep. 1: Mindful Entrepreneurship and Impacting the World
August 15, 2019 19:29 - 21 minutes - 48.5 MBEvery day, entrepreneurs face a sea of distractions. From screens to bad habits to self-doubt, these obstacles can seem insurmountable, but they aren't. By finding and harnessing your purpose, you can overcome them. In our new Mindstorm podcast series, featuring Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) and Josh Whiton (Founder of MakeSoil), share their journeys in mindfulness and share their thoughts on how humanity can solve some of the massive problems ahead of us as a species. If you have a p...
Startup Finance and Accounting: An Interview with Frank Mastronuzzi
August 14, 2019 18:50 - 52 minutes - 120 MBEvery startup founder is focused on generating revenue and securing investors, but countless startups fail because they fail to manage their existing cash. In this episode, startup finance and accounting expert Frank Mastronuzzi (CFO, Punch Financial) outlines some of the best strategies to manage your company's money. He identifies some of the most common mistakes that startups make, fields questions from seed-stage founders, and guides us through the ever-changing world of startup financ...
Unfiltered Ep. 3: Reviewing Transportation Ideas, Med-Tech Startups & More
August 12, 2019 17:46 - 30 minutes - 69.1 MBWe're back with another episode of Unfiltered! From school transport to grocery startups, Rachel Sheppard (Founder Institute Global Marketing Manager), Mike Suprovici (EIR), and Ryan Micheletti (Head of Global Operations) review startup ideas and pull no punches. Together, they have decades of startup experience and have advised hundreds of rising Silicon Valley companies. In our Unfiltered series, they use that experience to provide feedback for startups of any stage of development. Are yo...
Coach Mike: Startup Hiring Tips with Mike Suprovici
August 06, 2019 13:59 - 38 minutes - 88.1 MBIn this special episode - the first in our ‘Coach Mike’ series - producer Drew Zias is joined by Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR). Together, they discuss the number one reason why startups fail: conflict between founders. The topic of the day is Startup Hiring, and Mike outlines how to build a strong team and avoid some of the most dangerous mistakes for an early-stage company, along with: How to onboard co-founders, and early employees How to deal with equity splits How to define y...
Venture Funding for Female Founders: An AMA with Cat Lee
August 01, 2019 23:02 - 1 hour - 140 MBAccording to several reports, less than 3% of all venture capital funding goes to female founders. In this webinar, Cat gives advice on how female founders can overcome the odds and close a funding round, through an interactive online AMA ("Ask me Anything"). Cat is the newest partner at Maveron, an early-stage consumer-tech venture firm. Previously, Cat worked for six years at Pinterest (Head of Culture, Global Partner Marketing, Growth, Product) and at Facebook as part of their developer ...
Unfiltered Ep. 2: Reviewing Hotel App Ideas, Crowdfunding Startups & More
July 30, 2019 18:27 - 34 minutes - 78.2 MBWe're back with another episode of Unfiltered! From agribusiness to digital fingerprinting, Rachel Sheppard (Founder Institute Global Marketing Manager), Mike Suprovici (EIR), and Ryan Micheletti (Head of Global Operations) review startup ideas and pull no punches. Together, they have decades of startup experience and have advised hundreds of rising Silicon Valley companies. In our Unfiltered series, they'll provide feedback for startups of any stage of development. Are you launching your ...
How to Work with Investors, Featuring Pekka Viilto of Rundit
July 25, 2019 20:21 - 1 hour - 147 MBIn this episode, Pekka Viilto shares his experiences as a founder of a VC-backed startup, and fields questions from pre-Series A entrepreneurs. Pekka is an investor relations expert and the founder of Rundit. It's a founder-friendly investor reporting tool for startups, which helps founders communicate with their investors. He and Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR) discuss the challenges with investor relations and how to overcome those as a founder. If you have a pre-seed startup and y...
How to Fundraise like an Expert, with Mike Suprovici
July 22, 2019 18:23 - 32 minutes - 75.5 MBIn this episode, Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR) returns to the podcast, this time as an interviewee. Mike is one of the world's leading minds in startup fundraising. He has successfully closed rounds in the startup world, and now helps other companies raise from investors through FI's alumni advisory program. Today, he fields questions about the fundraising process, how to navigate term sheets, trends, and how his advisory program has achieved its 80%+ funding rate. If you'd like Mi...
How Entrepreneurs Can Build The Future, with Peter Diamandis
July 16, 2019 16:16 - 48 minutes - 111 MBIn this episode, we have an interactive chat about leveraging new technologies to better the lives of billions. Our featured speaker is Peter Diamandis. Named one of "The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune Magazine, Diamandis is the Founder/ Co-Founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, Human Longevity Inc., Planetary Resources, and Singularity University. With Founder Institute CEO Adeo Ressi, Peter discusses the most pressing issues facing humanity, and explores how entrepreneurs can work to...
Inside the Mind of a Silicon Valley Investor
July 01, 2019 12:15 - 1 hour - 138 MBIf you are looking to raise funding or build a startup that positively impacts society, then this episode is for you. Pavel Cherkashin joins us today. He's an entrepreneur-turned-investor looking to fund impactful technologies. He's the Managing Partner at both Mindrock Capital and GVA Capital, overseeing over $200M in assets. Before he got into investing, Pavel also founded several successful IT companies. With Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR), Pavel discusses: How a successful Sil...
Unfiltered Ep. 1: Brutally Honest Startup Feedback
June 24, 2019 17:08 - 34 minutes - 78.8 MBFrom space technology companies to dating apps, Rachel Sheppard (Founder Institute Global Marketing Manager), Mike Suprovici (EIR), and Ryan Micheletti (Head of Global Operations) review startup ideas and pull no punches. Together, they have decades of startup experience and have advised many Silicon Valley companies. In our Unfiltered segment, they'll provide feedback for startups of any stage of development. Are you launching your own startup? Submit your startup idea to be featured on ou...
Securing Venture Capital with Lucas Rocha (Unshackled VC)
May 07, 2019 17:03 - 1 hour - 137 MBIn this episode, Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR) is joined by Lucas Rocha. Lucas works with deal sourcing and portfolio management for Unshackled Ventures, a firm that leads pre-seed rounds for teams with immigrant founders. Here, they discuss the different tactics required for securing venture capital investment and common mistakes. They conclude with a Q&A segment, where pre-series A founders ask company-specific questions about funding strategy, securing investment, and more. Are ...
Fundraising Hacks: A Startup Deep-Dive with Nathan Beckord
April 01, 2019 22:55 - 44 minutes - 102 MBIn this Scaling Session, Mike Suprovici (Founder Institute EIR) is joined by Nathan Beckord. Nathan is the CEO of Foundersuite, and one of the world's experts in startup funding. Here, they discuss how to secure and maintain your shareholders and investors. They cover the different ways to keep your investors in the loop, along with adjacent topics like how and when to approach investors. They conclude with a Q&A segment, where pre-seed founders ask company-specific questions about general s...
Arcimoto: How Startups Can Solve Big Problems
March 11, 2019 19:33 - 1 hour - 152 MBAs the world becomes more connected and technology infiltrates the very fabric of our society, there has never been a better time for tech startups to make a difference and solve big problems in the world. In this episode, Mark Frohnmayer (Founder & President of Arcimoto) and Adeo Ressi discuss the various opportunities in cleantech, and the strategies which today's most ambitious entrepreneurs use to bring their visions to reality. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We're ...
How to Engage VCs, with Rick Moss of Better Ventures
February 25, 2019 19:58 - 55 minutes - 126 MBRick Moss, Founder and Managing Director of the Better Ventures, joins us to discuss the best practices for engaging with VCs, as a startup founder. He identifies the main factors that VCs are considering, from tracking key metrics to gauging founder passion, and more. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We're an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs and teams during the earliest stages of their business. In our 3.5 month program, participants build their ...
Scaling to Series A with Jed Katz (Javelin Venture Partners)
February 21, 2019 00:41 - 47 minutes - 108 MBJed Katz (Managing Director of Javelin Venture Partners) is an entrepreneur and investor, with a portfolio that includes Niantic, and Carbon Health. In this interview he talks about how to best attract early investment and grow new tech startups from pre-launch to the Series A stage. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We're an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs and teams during the earliest stages of their business. In our 3.5 month program, participan...
Moonshots and Design - An Interview with Milan's Startup Experts
February 04, 2019 18:55 - 19 minutes - 44.5 MBMaria Matloub (Founder of ggut Design) and Peter Lazou (Founder of SportScientia) sit down with the Founder Institute's Global Marketing Manager Rachel Sheppard to discuss design-thinking, adventurous startups, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the global startup scene. Maria and Peter are both key advisors in the Milan startup ecosystem and they are the leaders of FI's Milan accelerator program. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We're an idea-stage accelerator t...
Scaling Session: Maximizing Your Shareholders
January 15, 2019 23:12 - 58 minutes - 133 MBThis Scaling Session interview features Greg Narain (Partner at Before Alpha, & Serial Entrepreneur). Greg has built startups from the ground up, and he has raised tens of millions from investors. In this interview he shares some important lessons on running a well-managed startup, where all stakeholders’ needs are met. This includes investors, advisors, etc. He also fields questions from entrepreneurs and he identifies the lesser-known ways that founders can benefit from their stakeholder...
The Future of Artificial Intelligence Startups
January 11, 2019 00:09 - 1 hour - 142 MBArtificial intelligence technology is already changing our gadgets, our economies, and even our daily lives. We have a special episode today, where Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO) will be joined by three guests: Jeff Schneider (Engineering Lead at Uber ATC, and Professor at Carnegie Mellon University), Birpal Sachdev (Leader of Advanced Technologies at Philips), and Michael Harries (Partner at The Robotics Hub) Together, they’ll be discussing artificial intelligence, machine learning, a...
Scaling Session: Product Development Lifecycle with BV Satyaram
December 10, 2018 16:39 - 1 hour - 138 MBBV Satyaram (Founder & CEO at Code Astra) sits down with Founder Institute EIR Mike Suprovici to discuss the process of building software products. Code Astra is a software development house that works with small businesses across the globe to spec, design and build software products. BV details every stage of the software development process, and how entrepreneurs can work with developers to build create products, on budget and on time. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We...
Scaling Session - Immigrating Your Startup to the USA, with Nikki Dryden
December 03, 2018 21:25 - 1 hour - 150 MBOn this Scaling Session episode, Nikki Dryden discusses the best practices for founders that are considering immigrating to the United States. She explains legal implications in depth, so if you're thinking about moving your startup to the United States, or you want a better idea for how the process works, then listen closely. Nikki is a human rights lawyer, an activist, writer, olympic swimmer, and the Director of US Immigration at PwC. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. W...
The Future of Blockchain, with Anthony Di Iorio (Co-founder of Ethereum)
November 20, 2018 18:03 - 1 hour - 157 MBBlockchain technology, and the larger "decentralization" movement, has the potential to change the world in ways we haven't seen since the beginning of the internet. Savvy entrepreneurs are leveraging the blockchain in preparation for a decentralized world. In this episode, you'll hear from Anthony Di Iorio (Co-Founder of Ethereum, Founder of Jaxx & Decentral) and one of the world's foremost blockchain experts. This podcast is produced by the Founder Institute. We're an idea-stage accelera...
Scaling Session - Startup Hiring, with Maren Kate Donovan
November 08, 2018 21:40 - 56 minutes - 130 MBOn this Scaling Session podcast, you'll hear hiring tips from Maren Kate Donovan, a Silicon Valley Founder Institute Graduate and the Founder of AVRA Talent Partners. Maren has helped build several startup teams in her career, and in this interview she shares some important lessons on finding talent, keeping talent, and building a well-rounded team. The interview was conducted by Mike Suprovici (EIR at FI, and the Leader of Grad Support Group). This podcast is produced by the Founder Ins...
Scaling Session - How to Grow your Sales via Data, with Doug Landis
November 08, 2018 21:34 - 56 minutes - 130 MBIn this Scaling Session episode, you’ll hear from Doug Landis, a Growth Partner at Emergence Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s top VC firms. Doug has worked with some of the world’s fastest growing enterprise companies - like Box, Gusto, and Zoom - and in this interview he shares the best practices he’s learned on how you can get data and customer insights to help you scale your sales organization. This interview was conducted by Mike Suprovici (EIR at the Founder Institute, and the Leader ...
Kimbal Musk: How to Create an Impactful Company
November 08, 2018 20:20 - 59 minutes - 137 MBBusiness success should be measured not just by profit, but by social impact as well. If bright-minded entrepreneurs tackled bigger problems and global markets, not only would their potential to achieve big profit AND societal impact be much higher - they could also lead a more inspired and passionate life. The Founder Institute previously held an interview that tackled these complex topics, hosted by Adeo Ressi (Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute), and featured special guest Kimbal Mus...