Startup Stories - Mixergy
Episodes
#2302 Superpowering Claude with 10,000 apps
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Zapier just announced a new way for founders to integrate all their favorite apps with their favorite AI model. Wade Foster, their co-founder, came on...
#2301 How Nat Eliason’s OpenClaw earned $177,417
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When OpenClaw was released, I watched Nat Eliason create an agent, give it an X account and tell it to earn money. This is the story of how it worked ...
#2300 Revenue jumped when he sold to AI agents
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There are loads of apps that post to social media. So how did Nevo David get Postiz to take off? He started selling it to AI agents Nevo David is the ...
#2299 Zapier is using AI to sell to AI
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In private conversations, I’m hearing a lot of founders describe how they’re starting to sell to AI agents, like OpenClaw’s. Zapier has ...
#2298 This AI generates $689K
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Cera used AI coding agents to build a company that generates $689K. The agent creates ads using AI-generated people, handles customer support, and...
#2297 Elad Gil backed 40 unicorns. This is next
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Elad Gil was an early investor in 40 unicorns, including major AI companies like Perplexity. I asked him what’s next for software companies now that...
#2296 The $7 Million Vibe Coded App
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Mohrer is the model of the kind of company that can be built with AI. He’s not a developer, but he vibe coded Wave AI into a $7 million / year ...
#2295 Ryan Carson: How AI does my marketing for me
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When a new user signs up, most companies add them to a standard drip campaign. Ryan Carson found a better alternative: his AI agent sends customized d...
#2294 He Claude Code: Build Me a YouTube Replacement
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When YouTube kicked Pat Walls’ Starter Story channel off the platform, he spent a weekend getting Claude Code to build him a replacement. I wanted t...
#2293 $2 million / year AI engineering firm
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
My friend created an AI engineering firm and every time I see him, he tells me how much his business is growing. So I asked him to tell me all about i...
#2292 AI Automation that makes cold calls
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Yevgeniy Matsay was a real estate broker who hated making cold calls. So he built an AI automation to do it for him. It worked so well that he created...
#2291 He keeps launching AI businesses
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over a decade ago, Joe Apfelbaum was on the podcast, telling me how focusing on SEO helped him grow his agency. That was hard for the idea-a-minute fo...
#2290 He’s building an AI media empire
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the surface, it looks like Ricardo Vice Santos is selling AI-created books for your kids. But he’s aiming for something much bigger: a world wher...
#2289 Building companies using Zapier’s AI automations
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zapier used to be the software that connected all your other software. But it’s AI has become so powerful that people are using it to build software...
#2288 She had people do AI’s work
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Hastings wanted to create better accounting software. To figure out what to build, she had humans do the work. This is the story of how she crea...
#2287 AI made a “no code” founder into a coder
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Tossell used to listen to Mixergy interviews as he hunted for a big idea to launch. Then he nailed it. MakerPad, an educational company for people...
#2286 Pepper: AI + people = > $10 million
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pepper is creating content for clients like Shopify, Adobe and Instacart. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of posts & videos. And this is con...
#2285 AEO: How to make ChatGPT promote you
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ethan Smith runs Graphite, the SEO & AEO company that helps brands like Webflow show up on Google’s page one and ChatGPT’s first answer. This ...
#2284 Why is Morning Brew’s founder selling “AI Transformation”?
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coming into this interview I wasn’t even sure what “AI Transformation” was, let alone why so many companies pay for it. Here’s the deal: Tenex...
#2283 How Dan Shipper uses AI to build artisanal AI apps
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Why did you launch yet another voice dictation app?” I asked Dan Shipper, founder of Every. I thought he’d tell me that there was s...
#2282 Neil Patel’s insanely powerful AI sales machine
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve been talking with founders who used AI to build companies, but aren’t getting enough customers. I found the perfect person to show th...
#2281 Garry Tan: Y Combinator Startups Growing 5X Faster – Here’s What Changed
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI changed everything. During their time at Y Combinator, startups typically grew revenue weekly by 2-4%. Now? 10-20%! PER WEEK. YC President Garry Ta...
#2280 Read.ai is adding 50k users per day
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can Read.ai keep growing when 1) there are loads of meeting note taking apps, and 2) platforms like Zoom keep adding note-taking features? That...
#2279 How are there so many AI agencies?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I keep seeing AI agencies pop up everywhere, offering to AI-ify businesses. But what are they AI’ing? How are they doing it? Seems too general a...
#2278 How to build a $15M/year AI company.
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pavel Doležal built Keboola to $15 million per year. How he did it: 1. Start with consulting, so clients tell you what they need 2. Build software th...
#2277 My Body Tutor: Remote Coaching as a Service
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wish someone would text you every day to make sure you stuck to your goals? That’s exactly what Adam Gilbert built — first for fitness, now f...
#2276 Close: The $50 Million / Year CRM
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How is Close doing so well in the CRM space against such big competitors? The answer: focus. Instead of chasing enterprise clients or trying to build ...
#2275 He’s doing SEO on ChatGPT
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you noticed how AI search results are now linking to websites? Today’s guest runs an SEO agency that helps his clients’ sites show up...
#2274 1440: $20+mil / year newsletter
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After closing a company that failed, Tim Huelskamp decided to keep it simple. He launched an email newsletter that briefed smart people about the day&...
#2273 What happened to our partnership?
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before I partnered with Jesse Pujji, we were buddy-buddy. Texting all the time. When we got started, we got excited about the world of possibilities f...
#2272 Aux: >$10mil advising private equity
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Kasey Grelle heard that private equity companies paid marketing agencies to evaluate companies they wanted to buy, she spotted a business opportu...
#2271 Tucker Max left & his business crashed
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tucker Max thought his business was worth $64 million. Then it nearly died. This is the story of how Scribe, the ghostwriting and publishing company r...
#2270 Zillow laid him off, so he started his own company
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zillow laid him off. So John Doherty launched Credo a digital agency matchmaking firm. Exactly 7 years later — to the day — he sold the co...
#1559 Cameron Herold coaches me on hiring (so I don’t collapse at my desk)
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring has been a huge issue for me. And in a past interview with Cameron Herold, I brought it up because he’s the founder of the COO Alliance, ...
#1524 When does a startup founder need a COO?
22 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A topic we don’t talk about on Mixergy is how to actually manage a company. I remember when I was in NYU as an undergrad I loved all my business...
#1453 The future of chat (and interacting with your customers)
26 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
About a year ago I realized that no matter how much effort we’ve put into my email list, I could never double the response rate. We kept growing...
#1417 How Sam Ovens is helping everyday people start their own consulting businesses
03 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
I’ll be honest with you. I felt guilt about an interview that I did years ago with today’s guest. This was back in, let me see here, 2013....
#1050 How a former lawyer built a multi-million dollar company that teaches social skills – with Jordan Harbinger
13 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How does a former lawyer build a multi-million dollar company that teaches social skills. Jordan Harbinger is the co-founder of The Art of Charm, a co...
#1001 The 1,000 interview celebration
09 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
On August 4, 2008, I posted a video up on Mixergy where I looked up into the web cam on my computer and I said “I failed.” And I said that...
#990 Andrew’s process for overcoming entrepreneurial stagnation – with Samantha Alford
10 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago, Andrew was interviewed about his inner doubt by Samantha Alford of WomeninBusinesspodcast.com. I (Arie Saint) thought it was too good...
#715 HearAndPlay.com: Turning $70 Into A Multimillion Dollar Instruction Web Site – with Jermaine Griggs
23 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Update: based on the comments we’re getting, Jermaine sent this PDF about Automation. How does a high school senior from the inner city turn $70...
#710 iContact Founder Returns To Mixergy After $169M Sale – with Ryan Allis
09 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How does a wristband help a founder build a $169 million company? Ryan Allis is the founder of iContact, a provider of email marketing tools for small...
#400 Reddit Founder: “I Wish I Still Owned Reddit Now” – with Steve Huffman
20 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Many founders I interviewed on Mixergy told me about how their companies virtually disappeared after they sold them. But 4 years after selling Reddit ...
#216 How Clever Entrepreneurs Turned 3 Air Mattresses Into Airbnb, The Site That Makes Any Home A Bed And Breakfast – with Brian and Joe
28 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The founders of Airbnb are guys who couldn’t make rent a few years ago, but they kept turning desperation into creative solutions. In October 20...
#214 How To Produce Like A Linchpin By Understanding Your Lizard Brain – with Seth Godin
25 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
You listen to my programs because I don’t do the cute “let’s get to know the author” interviews that others are known for. I h...