The Startup Podcast
Episodes
Reacts: How Firing Sam Altman Might Lead To The End Of The World - Seriously w/ Emil Michael
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the 17th of November OpenAI announced on their blog that Sam Altman was fired. This sent shockwaves throughout the startup ecosystem worldwide. Wha...
Edu: Founder Mental Health Pt. 2 - Expert Coach Explains Causes & Cures
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you improve your mental health? Today continues the important discussion we started with Mike Filbey, founder of Pepper and former co-founder...
Reacts: AI Insiders Discuss OpenAI DevDay 2023 - Everything You Need To Know!
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI DevDay 2023. A conference that sent reverberations throughout the startup ecosystem worldwide. Welcomed back on The Startup Podcast to discuss ...
Edu: Product Experiments - Revealing The Science Behind Successful Apps
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brace yourself for a masterclass in app evolution as Andres Glusman, founder of DoWhatWorks shares 15 years of wisdom gained at Meetup, where experime...
Edu: Incredible Product Managers - 17 Traits Of Next Level PMs
04 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a product manager, wanting to become or know more about product management or hire one? Embark on a riveting expedition into the dynamic world...
Edu: Employee Equity - The Essential Value Of Ownership Culture
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🌟 Imagine sharing in the triumph and value of a startup's success! It's the magic potion that aligns every employee's heartbeat with th...
Replay: Edu: Product & Product Management - Empowering Your Team to Scale w/ Marty Cagan
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you hire a PM? 💭 How do you empower product designers? 🙌 What is the Domain Dogma trap? 🤔 We’ve gone into the vault and polishe...
Reacts: Palestinian & Israeli Debate War In Gaza
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gaza Strip. Events are evolving rapidly. The Startup Podcast is fortunate to be hosted by Chris and Yaniv who’s personal backgrounds provide a uniqu...
Q&A: When To Quit Your Job, Truth About Patents, Going Global
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve received a lot of questions from the last few episodes. It’s time Chris and Yaniv answer them! This Q&A episode they explore: When sho...
Edu: Lying To Yourself - Do You Really Dare To Be Great?
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you lying to yourself? Are you really aiming for greatness? This week Chris and Yaniv dive deep into the psyche of startup founders. Discover the ...
Reacts: Founder Mental Health - Silent Struggles Of Startup Leaders
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today is a very special episode. This week on The Startup Podcast, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Mike Filbey, founder of Pepper and former co-founder ...
Edu: Monetization - Secret To Success Or Highway To Hell?
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is monetization the secret sauce for startup success, or is it a treacherous highway to failure? Monetization isn't just about making money; it&...
Edu: Cross-Functional Squads - Critical Org Chart Mistakes To Avoid
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Squads - they’re the “it” way to organise cross-functional teams at Silicon Valley-startups. So why do they often not work? Unravel the blueprin...
Edu: Outsider Founders - Are You Part Of This Secret Club?
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where insider founders often seem to have the upper hand, what if being an outsider founder could become your secret weapon? This week on...
Edu: Founder Failure - 7 Archetypes Destined To Destroy Their Own Companies
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no denying it. No matter how good your product or team is, the startup will make or break because of the founder. Most founders learn this d...
Edu: Founder Sanity - 5 Rules For Keeping Your Cool When Building Your Startup
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being a founder is incredibly difficult. There’s no denying that. As a startup founder, the fate of the company rests on your shoulders. There’s...
Edu: Advisory Boards - Getting Help, Credibility & Capital From Experts
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. That’s great at a social level or when you’re climbing the corporate ladde...
Replay: Edu - Fundraising Basics Part 1 - How To Find The Smart Money
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Planning on fundraising in the next 6-18 months? Interested in the inner-workings of startup fundraising? This episode is a MUST listen for you! A...
Edu: Creating Your Own Silicon Valley - Ecosystem Building Secrets Revealed
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is only one Silicon Valley. Countries around the world have tried and continue to attempt to recreate the magic of Sandhill Road. But there will...
Q&A: The Death of Web3, Fundraising As An Introvert, Future of Australian Startup Scene
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tech industry has evolved immensely in 2023. It’s time Chris and Yaniv answers the burning questions of startup operators in The Startup Podcast...
Reacts: Twitter Rebrands To X - Mad Genius or Just Mad?
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🚨Twitter Rebrands to X 🚨 Elon Musk wants to blow up the Twitter brand & replace it with 'X' - but why? Listen to this bonus episode ...
Edu: Knowledge vs Wisdom - When Our Advice Is WRONG!
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rules are meant to be broken! You wouldn’t be building startups if you were a complete rule follower. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstei...
Replay: Edu - What Is A Startup? An Antidote To Small Business Syndrome
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a special episode for you all this week! This week we’re putting our own advice to use! We have repolished one of our most popular episodes ...
Edu: VC Pitch Recording - How Masters Handle Dumb Money
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing Mid Capital! This week on The Startup Podcast Chris and Yaniv wanted to switch it up and show how to navigate the fundraising VC discussi...
Takeover: The Sachin and Adam Show
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🚨🚨TAKEOVER ALERT! 🚨🚨 Today we’re excited to share with you an episode from one of our favourite podcasts - The Sachin and Adam Show. Ea...
Edu: Product Positioning - Make Yourself Obviously Awesome
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Product positioning will make or break your startup. Go toe-to-toe with multinational trillion-dollar behemoths and the likelihood of success is minut...
Edu: Saying NO - A Courageous Act With Surprising Consequences
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Saying NO takes clarity of thinking. It requires personal conviction and above all else, requires courage. For weeks, Chris and Yaniv have discussed ...
Reacts: Apple Vision Pro - A Masterclass in Product Development and Marketing
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Apple on your face, or a big disgrace? 🤔 On the 5th of June, an auditorium sat patiently waiting for Apple’s 2023 Worldwide Developer Conference...
Reacts: New Mother vs Founder: Are the two incompatible? w/ Amy Sun
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🚨WARNING: Controversial topic alert!🚨 Historically, startup culture has forced people to create a professional facade. A facade that inhibits t...
Edu: Evidence Guided Product Management-- Don't Let Your Gut Lead You Astray w/ Itamar Gilad
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you built products and no matter what you worked on it didn’t matter, the business metrics didn’t improve nor did the user experience? You ar...
Edu: Startup Storytelling - F*ck the Slides w/ Nir Zavaro
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re all storytellers. It’s the way we first begin to learn and it's the way we have communicated important information for thousands of year...
Edu: Startup Planning — Follow the Ten Commandments w/ Oliver Heckmann
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Good plans often make the difference between success and failure. Yet so many organisations are filled with time-consuming, ineffective, demoralising ...
Reacts: The VC Slaughterhouse -- Don't Let Investors Kill Your Dreams
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ episode. Yaniv and Chris are fired up about bad VC investors, and they can't hold it in any longer! Good Ven...
Edu: Eliminating Distraction - Life-changing Techniques to Turbocharge Your Traction w/ Nir Eyal
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A startup’s most precious and limited resource? No, it’s not money. It’s time. And so many founders and operators allow their precious time to ...
Reacts: ChatGPT - A Billion Dollar Company with Only 3 Employees? w/ Jeremiah Owyang & Ben Parr
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About The Episode All of a sudden, AI is everywhere. But how do you pick through the hype to understand the real impact? And importantly, as a found...
Edu: Moving to the US - is it unpatriotic? w/ Jack Bloomfield
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About The Episode In this episode, Chris Saad and Jack Bloomfield discuss the pros and cons of moving to the US to accelerate and amplify the success ...
Reacts: Chris is Back With Controversial Thoughts on the Last Few Episodes
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About The Episode Chris has had to watch from the sidelines for the last four episodes while he rested his voice, and it almost killed him! This week ...
Edu: Good Communication – The Superpower That Could Save Your Startup w/ Jenny Rudd
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been communicating all our lives, so we’re probably pretty good at it, right? Wrong. Poor communication has arguably been responsible for mo...
Edu: Term Sheet Pitfalls – Don’t Turn Your Cap Table Into a Crap Table
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Darker times in venture have seen the return of some old investment terms that haven’t had much of an airing lately: warrants, participating liquida...
Edu: Investor Comms – Happy Investors, Happy Life
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Communicating with your investors can seem like an annoying chore when you’re grinding away as a founder trying to make something out of nothing. Bu...
Edu: Talent Density – Mediocre Performers, Mediocre Outcomes
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix popularised the term “talent density” to describe the key plank of its approach to building a high-performing organisation. But what is it...
Q&A: Non-technical Founder Fails, Breaking Into Startups, Zero Interest Rate Phenomena, and More
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris braves his vocal issues to rejoin Yaniv in our latest Listener Q&A episode. Five great questions, lots of great discussion and actionable ad...
Edu: Habit Forming Products - The Secrets Of User Retention with Nir Eyal
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If using your product becomes an ingrained habit for your users, you’re well on your way to massive success. But how do you make your product habit-...
Edu: Escalation - Without It, You're Going Nowhere
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Without a clear communication path back to leadership, creating autonomous teams doesn’t lead to an empowered organisation… it just leads to chaos...
Edu: Conviction - Data Driven Doesn’t Cut It
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is nearly impossible for a startup to succeed if its leaders do not have a clear sense of conviction about the direction they are going. But what i...
Reacts: Why Elon Musk Killed Twitter’s Developer API – According To The Exec Who Ran It
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Amir Shevat was in charge of Twitter's developer platform, until he was fired (along with his whole team) by Elon Musk. Twitter no longer has a develo...
Edu: Transforming Into a Product-Led Org Part 2 – How To Make It Happen
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The great disruptors of Silicon Valley are nearly all product led. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive deep on how a product-led organisation works,...
Edu: Transforming Into a Product-Led Org Part 1 – Why Be Product Led?
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The great disruptors of Silicon Valley are nearly all product led. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv explain what a product-led organisation looks like...
Edu: What Startups Can Learn From Poker – Know When To Hold ‘em
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
All season, Chris and Yaniv have talked about the mindset that is needed to succeed at venture-backed startups. For the final episode of Season 1, we ...
Q&A: Mike Scott – Employee for the First Time at 40
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Scott is a serial entrepreneur who found himself working at a large tech unicorn when they acquired his business. As newly-minted Head of Product...
Edu: Alignment – Make Sure You’re Pulling in the Same Direction
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alignment is about making sure that everybody in an organisation is working in such a way that their efforts build on each other, rather than cancelli...
Edu: Company Culture – You Shall Reap What You Sow
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This bonus episode is a collaboration with Yan Kruger’s fantastic Growth Ripples podcast. Startups can survive a bad culture to achieve product-mark...
Edu: Prioritization & Unfunded Mandates - If Everything is a Priority, Nothing is a Priority
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most startups limp along with way too many priorities—and the lack of focus will kill them. Ruthless and deliberate prioritization and sequencing is...
Edu: Business Development - Embracing Raw Capitalism w/ Emil Michael
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emil Michael was Uber’s Chief Business Officer during the company’s glory years, and is one of the small handful of people who shaped the modern r...
Reacts: Downturn Fundraising - How to Raise Money in the Current Climate w/Emil Michael & Jessy Wu
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no secret that the investment environment has changed quite drastically in the last six months, and for many founders out there it has become m...
Edu: Avoiding Toxic Niceness - Speaking Truth to Power (with Jessy Wu)
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yaniv is joined by Jessy Wu, Investor at Afterwork Ventures, to talk about how excessive niceness in a startup ecosystem can turn toxic, and what can ...
Q&A: Prioritising Features, How to Cold Email Investors, and More
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Time for another Listener Q&A episode! Chris and Yaniv give clear, actionable answers on the following questions: How to prioritise which featur...
Edu: Developer Platforms - Profiting From the Labour of Others
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The modern software ecosystem is made possible by developer platforms and APIs. Many of the most successful tech startups of recent years have succeed...
Edu: Startup Crisis Management - When It All Turns To Sh*t
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There comes a point in the journey of most startups when it all turns to sh*t. A crisis looms large and it is up to you, as a leader, to get things ba...
Edu: First Principles Thinking - Don’t Doom Yourself to Mediocrity
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You can’t disrupt the status quo by accepting it. Too many startup founders accept constraints on what they can do without seriously challenging the...
Edu: Startup Accelerators - Trash or Treasure?
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You can’t swing a cat these days without hitting a startup accelerator. But what actually are accelerators? What’s the point of them? And most imp...
Edu: Product Marketing - A Love Story
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Product Marketing is one of the most commonly neglected or misunderstood functions in a Silicon Valley style tech startup. At the best companies, it i...
Edu: Burnout - Avoiding the loss of identity and productivity
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Burnout is an ever-present danger at a startup, and as times get tough it is more important than ever to spot the signs of burnout on your team. In th...
Q&A: When to Ignore Advice, The Next Big Thing, and more
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are back with a fresh Listener Q&A episode! Chris and Yaniv dive deep on the following questions: When should you IGNORE advice? Is it ever ...
Edu: Product-Led Growth - Accelerate Sales & Supercharge Scale w/ Kyle Poyar
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kyle Poyar joins Chris and Yaniv to dive deep into the world of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and how you can use its principles to drive growth at your st...
Edu: Product & Product Management - Empowering Your Team to Scale w/ Marty Cagan
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Marty Cagan joins Chris and Yaniv to discuss what he sees as the biggest risk to building a successful product. It’s not choosing the wrong problem,...
Edu: 7 Deadly Sins of Scaleups and BigCos - Do You Need To Repent?
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Yaniv have worked in and advised many startups, scaleups and BigCos. There are 7 organizational sins they see over and over again. In this e...
Reacts: Adam Neumann's Big Raise - And What We Can All Learn From It
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The founder of WeWork, Adam Neumann, spent countless billions of investor money on the way to a failed IPO that values the company at over $50 Billion...
Edu: Growth - Stop Hacking and Start Growing w/ Casey Winters
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Casey Winters joins Yaniv and Chris this episode for a very special discussion on Growth. Casey is currently CPO at Eventbrite and instructor at Refor...
Edu: Pay it Forward - The Ponzi Scheme of Generosity
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a newcomer in Silicon Valley, Chris was awed by the kindness shown to him by influential insiders and tech luminaries, people he had never met and ...
Q&A: ReciMe's Christine Nguyen - Solving the Hard Side
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Yaniv talk with Christine Nguyen, founder of ReciMe. ReciMe is a social cooking app that is building a two-sided marketplace of inspirationa...
Edu: Opportunity Cost - How Much Are You Really Paying?
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Yaniv have seen the three key things that lead to success in startups: momentum, hustle, and an understanding of opportunity cost. In this e...
Reacts: The Uber Files - Tech Industry Narratives and the Media
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Uber has been in the news recently thanks to a fresh trove of emails discussing some of the early practices at the company. Chris and Yaniv use this n...
Edu: The Founder Journey - Don’t Get Fired From Your Own Startup
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Founder-led companies are at a distinct advantage, as long as the founder is able to keep up with the radical change in their role as a startup grows....
Edu: Software Engineering - Don't Burn The House Down
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Software engineering is a discipline that is often deeply misunderstood, often leading to frustration and inefficiency. With over 15 years experience ...
Edu: Choosing Your Geography - Yaniv and Chris Finally Disagree
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a startup with ambitions of global disruption, the odds are already against you. Don't make things worse by launching in a geography that lengthens...
Edu: Organisational Design - Hiring your way out of incompetence
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You're building a complex product, so you need a lot of specialists to handle the complexity, right? BA, PM, UXR, UX, UI, PgM, PMM, Architect, TL, Scr...
Q&A: Common Founder Mistakes, Strategic Investors, and more
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You ask questions, we give answers! In our first-ever Listener Q&A episode, Chris and Yaniv tackle the following questions asked by our wonderful ...
Edu: Venture Debt - Get Sophisticated when Raising Capital w/ Matt Allen
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by legendary angel investor and CEO of Tractor Ventures, Matt Allen. The three of them discuss ot...
Reacts: The Downturn - Execute Well or Die
29 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sentiment in the markets has turned sharply downward. What does this mean for venture-backed startups? Don't panic. In this special topical episode, ...
Edu: Engaging Young Employees - Do You Know How To Attract Bright Young Minds? w/ Dan Brockwell from Earlywork
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should yo...
Edu: Finding and Hiring Talent - Always Be Closing
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Look at any great tech company, and there is an exceptionally talented team behind it. Great talent is always in short supply, so how do you make sure...
Edu: Finding a Co-founder - Avoid Choosing the Wrong Partner
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The co-founder relationship is far and away the most important one in any startup. If you get the partnership right, you become an unstoppable team. I...
Edu: Technology vs. Product - The Power of Saying No
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’re a “tech” company, so you’re building technology, right? Wrong. Technology is merely the medium through which you are bringing a product...
Edu: Picking the Right Business Model - Don't Prop up the Industry you Should be Disrupting
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you followed your heart when choosing the business model for your startup? Or are you making the choice out of fear? Yaniv and Chris examine when...
Edu: Investing & Fundraising - The Truth About VC w/ Nick Crocker from Blackbird Ventures
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Yaniv have a discussion with Nick Crocker, General partner at Blackbird Ventures. Together they discuss The truth about "VC Value...
Edu: Fundraising Basics Part 3 - Crafting your pitch
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Building compelling and clear fundraising narratives and pitch decks can be life and death for your startup. In this episode, Yaniv and Chris discus...
Edu: Fundraising Basics Part 2 - Avoid Selling Yourself Short
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Knowing how to run a good fundraising process (and what to ask for) can make the difference between a glorious partnership that takes you to your next...
Edu: Fundraising Basics Part 1 - How to Find the Smart Money
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The symbiosis between founders and venture capitalists is at the core of what makes the startup business model possible. When it works well it can wor...
Edu: Scale-up Execution Overview - Avoiding Founder Sabotage
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is your startup about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? When you've built a product that customers love, scaling up to take that product to ...
Edu: Early Execution Overview - Your MVP Sucks
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ideas are cheap, but execution is where the magic happens. Listen as Chris and Yaniv talk about what it means to execute successfully as an early-stag...
Edu: Early ideation - Your Idea Is Worthless
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Got an idea for a startup? Congratulations, so does everybody else. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive deep on the idea of ideas, their role, and t...
Edu: What is a Startup? - An Antidote to Small Business Syndrome
05 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is the difference between a Silicon Valley-style tech startup and a regular small business? In this first episode of The Startup Podcast, Chris a...