TechCrunch’s Found podcast, which has been bringing listeners the stories behind startups since April 2022, released its latest episode today.
I’ve been one of Found’s hosts since November 2022, and in that time I’ve spoken to more than 75 founders about the startups they’re building. These founders come from many different backgrounds and are building in sectors ranging from AI to climate, e-commerce, higher education and everything in between.
Now that the show will no longer be bringing you new episodes, I decided to take a look back at some of my favorite episodes.
You may notice a theme in many of them. The best founders I could talk to didn’t pitch us their product the entire time, nor did they make big, tall claims about their company or their industry. Instead, many of these founders offered a vivid account of both building their companies and the trials and tribulations of startup life.
The following 15 episodes are easily my favorites that I’ve been a part of. These episodes are listed in reverse chronological order of when they were released, as opposed to my actual order, you won’t get that from me.
Guest: Howie Liu, co-founder and CEO of Airtable
What the company does: the no-code app platform
Episode Pub Date: October 22, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Liu was a pleasure to talk to. Airtable has a fascinating story, and Liu tells it well. The fact that the app’s design is inspired by one of Liu’s favorite animated characters tells you all you need to know about the tone of this conversation.
Guest: Nick Frosst, co-founder of Cohere
What the company does: Enterprise AI
Episode Pub Date: August 8, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: There is a lot of hype and hype when it comes to today’s AI startup market. Frosst is not supported inside. It was refreshing to talk to an AI founder who both knows their stuff but can also acknowledge what the AI industry is selling and how their company fits into the boom.
Guest: Tade Oyerinde, Chancellor, Campus
What the company does: Accredited online community college
Episode Pub Date: July 18, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Much of the startup ecosystem is founders looking to iterate on old ideas. While this approach is both valuable and often profitable, it is not always interesting. Campus is one of the few (non-climate focused) companies I spoke to this year doing something truly unique.
Guest: Nicolas Green, Co-Founder and CEO, Thrive Market
What the company does: Membership-based online healthy food platform
Episode Pub Date: April 2, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Thrive Market could have targeted its online grocery and health food marketplace for the type of customer that might already be using them. But that didn’t happen and the reasons why make for a great founding story. Plus, learning about the logistics of an online grocery store that launched before Covid was fascinating – even for those who aren’t as obsessed with grocery logistics as I am.
Invited: Rebecca Hu, co-founder, Glacier
What the company does: robots that sort recycling
Episode Pub Date: March 12, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Glacier’s approach to using computer vision to train robots to sort recycling looks like a glimpse into the future of reduce, reuse, recycle. Hu also has some interesting anecdotes about what it’s like to build an AI company in the age of AI washing. Plus, bots have names.
Guest: Beatrice Dixon, co-founder and CEO, The Honey Pot (acquired by Compass Diversified)
What the company does: menstrual hygiene products
Episode Pub Date: February 6, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: The story of The Honey Pot’s founding is an interesting one, and Dixon is quite the storyteller. This episode also shows you the sheer guts of launching a startup, but also delves into the sweet reward at the end of all that work.
Guest: Ben Goodwin, co-founder and CEO of Olipop
What the company does: prebiotic soda
Episode Pub Date: January 24, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Olipop is a wild company to follow as the gut-healthy soda market has exploded in recent years. Goodwin was also a pleasure to talk to. Despite being the CEO, he still formulates all the brand’s flavors himself. He accepted our call while drinking coffee from a wine glass. This gives you an idea of how this went.
Guest: Neil Batliwala
What the company does: connects underserved communities with high-quality care
Episode Pub Date: November 28, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: Batlivala has cracked the code on leveraging government resources to help a startup continue its impact. Batlivala, and his work with Pair Team, is a bright spot among the startup ecosystem as his company works to improve the lives of the US’s most vulnerable populations, who are often overlooked by the tech industry at large.
Invited: Abhi Ramesh, founder and CEO, Misfits Market
What the company does: online grocery store of ugly produce and poorly packaged goods
Episode Pub Date: October 31, 2024
Why it’s a favorite: Ramesh was incredibly candid about the founding story behind Misfits Market and all the hurdles he faced to launch the company. This episode was also recorded right after Misfits bought rival Imperfect Foods, so there’s a lot of useful information on how to bring the companies together as well.
Guest: Graham Hine, Co-Founder and Director, ePlant (former CEO)
What it does: Uses AI sensors to monitor tree health
Episode Pub Date: September 5, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: This startup uses AI to talk to trees! Hine was not your typical Silicon Valley founder, in a good way, and it was fun to talk to a company that is solving a big problem – tree health – but in a very fun way. Listen to discover Hines’ favorite tree, too.
Guest: Rebecca Rosenberg, founder and CEO, ReBokeh
What the company does: assistive technology for people with low vision
Episode Pub Date: August 1, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: People with disabilities are often completely overlooked by technology innovation, so it was really interesting to hear from a founder who is building transformative technology for people with low vision and doing so in a way that is rooted in her own experience personal. Rosenberg is also wise beyond her years.
Guest: Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, founder and CEO, Samooha (now part of Snowflake)
What it does: secure data collaboration
Episode Pub Date: May 16, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: Sivaramakrishnan is a force to be reckoned with in the tech world. She signed papers to sell her first startup while in the hospital preparing to give birth and has since launched and sold another startup. There are many lessons to be learned from this.
Guest: Ben Lamm, founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences
What it does: conservation through the return to life of extinct species
Episode Pub Date: March 21, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: While you may enter this episode confused as to why a tech startup would seek to bring the woolly mammoth back to life, you’ll end this episode thinking the idea makes perfect sense. Lamm is an engaging speaker and the science behind the company is endlessly fascinating.
Guest: Matt Rogers, founder and CEO, Mill
What the company does: home composter and food recycler
Episode Pub Date: March 7, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: Rogers has a fascinating background before starting Mill that includes working on the original iPhone and founding the smart thermometer company Nest. Rogers is hilarious and his quips and anecdotes alone make this worth your time.
Invited: Mir Hwang, founder and CEO of GigFinesse
What the company does: Concert booking software
Episode release date: January 17, 2023
Why it’s a favorite: Hwang is a fascinating founder. From claiming to be his own booking agent to building this startup out of someone else’s dorm room, there are a lot of fun stories packed in here. Plus, GigFinesse’s gig booking tool is also pretty cool on its own.
