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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 during that time I’ve talked to over 75 founders about their startups. These founders come from many different backgrounds and are building in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence to climate, e-commerce, higher education and everything in between.
Now that the show won’t be bringing you new episodes, I’ve decided to revisit some of my favorite episodes.
You can see a theme in many of these. The best founders to talk to didn’t pitch us their product the entire time and didn’t make big claims about their company or their industry. Instead, many of these founders offered a candid 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, unlike my actual ranking, which you won’t get from me.
Guest: Howie Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Airtable
What the company does: a code-free software platform
Episode air date: October 22, 2024
Why it’s cute: Liu was a pleasure to talk to. Airtable has an interesting story, and Liu explains it well. The fact that the app’s design was inspired by one of Liu’s favorite cartoon characters tells you everything you need to know about the tone of this conversation.
Guest: Nick Frost, co-founder of Cohere
What the company does: enterprise AI
Episode air date: August 8, 2024
Why it’s cute: There is a lot of exaggeration and hype when it comes to today’s AI startup market. Frost does not follow. It was refreshing to talk to an AI creator who both knows his stuff and can recognize what the AI industry is overselling and how his company is adapting to it.
Guest: Tade Oyerinde, Chancellor, Campus
What the company does: Accredited online community college
Episode air date: July 18, 2024
Why it’s cute: Many of the startup ecosystem are founders who want to iterate on old ideas. Although this approach is both reliable and often profitable, it is not always interesting. Campus is one of the few (non-climate-focused) companies I’ve spoken to this year that is doing something truly unique.
Guest: Nicolas Green, Co-Founder and CEO, Thrive Market
What the company does: a membership-based online healthy food platform
Episode air date: April 2, 2024
Why it’s cute: Thrive Market could market online healthy snacks and groceries to the type of customer that already has access to them. But it didn’t happen, and the reasons why created a great foundation story. Plus, learning about the logistics of a pre-Covid online grocery store was interesting, even for someone like me who isn’t interested in grocery logistics.
Guest: Rebecca Hu, co-founder, Glacier
What the company does: recycling robots
Episode air date: March 12, 2024
Why it’s cute: Glacier’s approach of using computer vision to train robots to sort recyclables looks like a glimpse into the future of reduce, reuse, recycle. Hu also has interesting anecdotes about what it’s like to start an AI company in the age of artificial intelligence. Plus, the robots have names.
Guest: Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder and CEO, The Honey Pot (acquired by Compass Diversified)
What the company does: menstrual hygiene products
Episode air date: February 6, 2024
Why it’s cute: The main story of the honeypot is amazing and Dixon is quite the storyteller. This episode both shows you the elegance of getting a startup off the ground and dives 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 air date: January 24, 2024
Why it’s cute: Olipop is a wild company to follow as the gut-healthy soda market has exploded in recent years. Goodwin was also nice to talk to. Despite being the CEO, he still makes all of the brand’s flavors himself. He took our call while drinking coffee from a wine mug. This gives you an idea of how it goes down.
Guest: Neil Batliwala
What the company does: connects underserved communities to high-quality care
Episode air date: November 28, 2023
Why it’s cute: Batliwala cracked the code of using government resources to further increase his influence on a startup. Batliwala and his work with Pair Team are a bright spot among the startup ecosystem, as his company works to improve the lives of America’s most vulnerable populations, which are often overlooked by the tech industry.
Guest: Abhi Ramesh, Founder and CEO of Misfits Market
What the company does: online grocery store of dirty produce and mispackaged goods
Episode air date: October 31, 2024
Why it’s cute: Ramesh was incredibly candid about the foundation story behind Misfits Market and all the obstacles he faced to get the company off the ground. This episode was also recorded shortly after Misfits acquired rival Perfect Foods, so there’s plenty of useful information on how to merge companies.
Guest: Graham Hine, Co-Founder and Director, ePlant (Former CEO)
What it does: It uses AI sensors to monitor tree health
Episode air date: September 5, 2023
Why it’s cute: This startup uses artificial intelligence to talk to trees! Hine wasn’t your typical Silicon Valley founder in a good way, and it was fun to talk to a company that was solving a big problem — tree health — but in a very fun way. Listen in to find Hines’ favorite tree, too.
Guest: Rebecca Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of ReBokeh
What the company does: assistive technology for people with low vision
Episode air date: August 1, 2023
Why it’s cute: People with disabilities are often completely overlooked by technological innovation, so it was really cool to hear from a founder who is creating transformative technology for the visually impaired and doing so based on personal experience. Rosenberg is also wise beyond his years.
Guest: Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Samooha (now part of Snowflake)
What it does: secure data collaboration
Episode air date: May 16, 2023
Why it’s cute: Sivaramakrishnan is a force to be reckoned with in the tech world. She signed the papers to sell her first startup while preparing for a hospital birth and has since launched and sold another startup. There is a lot to take from this lesson.
Guest: Ben Lamm, Founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences
What it does: conservation by bringing extinct species back to life
Episode air date: March 21, 2023
Why it’s cute: While you may enter this episode confused as to why a tech startup would want to bring a 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 food composter and recycling
Episode air date: March 7, 2023
Why it’s cute: Rogers has an interesting background before starting Mill, which includes working on the original iPhone and founding the Nest smart thermometer company. Rogers is hilarious and his quips and anecdotes alone make this worth your time.
Guest: Mir Hwang, Founder and CEO of GigFinesse
What the company does: Concert booking program
Episode air date: January 17, 2023
Why it’s cute: Hwang is a fascinating builder. From pretending to be a booking agent to building this startup out of someone else’s dorm room, there are tons of fun stories here. Plus, GigFinesse’s gig booking tool is pretty cool in its own right.
