Welcome back to The Room Podcast! Today, we’re thrilled to explore the fast-evolving world of B2B tech innovation with Shensi Ding, co-founder of Merge. Merge has become a leader in unified APIs, creating a category that addresses the challenges many companies face with complex integrations. Shensi’s journey is a unique one—from her coding days in Boston to Columbia, then a career at Silver Lake, all of which prepared her to tackle the 'SAAS sprawl' problem head-on. Together with her co-founder, Gil Feig, Shensi has built a powerhouse team and a product that’s essential for clients like Ramp and BambooHR. Their customer-first approach has secured $75 million in funding and a growing presence across SF and NYC.In this episode, we delve into topics like using customer insights to drive category creation, balancing skills in co-founder dynamics, and navigating fundraising from seed stage through metrics-driven growth. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!5:04 - Where did Shensi grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?6:07 - Did Shensi always think she was going to become a founder?6:29 - How were website designers making money in the early 2000’s?7:25 - How did Shensi move from making websites to computer science?8:19 - How has finance influenced Shensi to become a founder?10:26 - Why did Shensi leave finance to join Xpanse?11:35 - How did Shensi meet her co-founder, Gil, and why did they decide to find Merge?14:20 - What was the aha moment that encouraged the start of Merge?14:57 - What is the core product of Merge?16:48 - Who was the first company to say yes to using Merge?17:53 - What are some of the ways that customers are using Merge?18:48 - How does Shensi classify the space that Merge is a part of?19:38 - How did Shensi think about building her initial team?21:00 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Merge?21:31 - How was Shensi’s experience fundraising for Merge?22:44 - What advice does Shensi have for fundraising?25:37 - What is Merge's go-to-market strategy and how did Shensi build the initial sales team?26:29 - How do you scale up after the seed round?28:19 - How is AI disrupting the unified API space and how does Merge fit into that?29:14 - What is a part of the founding journey that Shensi didn’t expect?31:17 - How is the founding landscape today? Are people looking to keep building?32:52 - What companies are a part of Merge’s tech stack?33:38 - What’s next for Merge and for Shensi?34:48 - Who is a woman in Shensi’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

In this episode of The Room Podcast, we sit down with Jason Lee, the founder of Salt Labs and DailyPay, to explore his journey from finance to fintech entrepreneurship. Salt Labs, Jason’s latest venture, focuses on empowering workers to maximize their earnings potential, while DailyPay revolutionized the way employees access their wages. We cover a range of topics such as the need for improvement in front-line workers' payment structures, how Jason’s years in investment banking shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, his pivotal "aha" moment that led him to create DailyPay and Salt Labs, and advice to founders looking to start fundraising. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!5:38 - Where did Jason grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?7:23 - Did Jason always think he was going to become a founder?9:11 - What attracted Jason to stay with Goldman for 16 years?10:39 - When did Jason eventually leave Goldman?14:31 - How did Jason convince employers to integrate Daily Pay into current payment structures?18:18 - How did Jason get into this nice crossover of lending and fundraising?20:34 - How has Jason scaled Daily Pay?23:50 - How has Salt Labs helped solve employee retention and turnover?27:56 - How was the experience fundraising for Salt Labs?30:03 - What advice does Jason have for early-stage founders looking to fundraise?33:24 - What was a moment in Jason’s founding journey when things didn’t go as planned?38:18 - What are the key trends in the hourly worker market that will shape the evolution of Salt Labs?41:18 - What’s next for Salt Labs?44:38 - Who is a woman in Jason’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

In this episode of The Room Podcast, we sit down with Kevin McCarthy, the CEO of Unreal, a company dedicated to creating healthier alternatives to classic candy. Unreal is known for creating delicious, better-for-you snacks that ditch artificial ingredients, offering cleaner, more natural options in the world of sweets. We discuss the intersection of entrepreneurship and health-conscious innovation, bringing a refreshing approach to an industry ripe for disruption. Kevin shares his journey to becoming CEO at just 24 years old, the pivotal changes Unreal made to become a leader in the health-conscious snack market, and how leadership lessons from his political campaign days shaped his approach to business.Key topics in this conversation include; the challenges of rebranding during and after a pandemic, what it takes to lead a company and board room through major pivots, and the value of a transparent and in-person DTC strategy. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!4:54 - Where did Kevin grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?5:39 - Did Kevin always believe he was going to be a CEO?6:46 - How did Kevin’s early passion for government shape his career?9:38 - What lessons has Kevin learned that he employs on a day-to-day basis?10:50 - How and why did Kevin join Unreal?13:49 - When did Kevin realize he would be with Unreal for a long time?15:27 - What is the original Unreal core product?18:06 - What is Unreal’s approach to the supply chain layer?20:10 - How did Unreal incorporate a DTC approach to their business model?21:57 - How has Kevin built a relationship with the Board of Unreal without being the founder?23:44 - What advice does Kevin have for people entering a board room for the first time?25:34 - What was a moment while CEO of Unreal when things didn’t go as planned?27:47 - How does Unreal think about “URL vs. IRL” in their go-to-market and sales strategy?29:35 - What challenges can arise when running an omni-channel strategy for a business?31:58 - How is Unreal cultivating a community around their product?34:41 - What is Kevin’s favorite Unreal snack?36:12 - What’s next for Kevin personally?37:05 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Kevin and his career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

In this episode of The Room Podcast, we’re joined by Sami Inkinen, co-founder of Virta Health, a company transforming the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Virta Health’s mission is to not just manage, but reverse diabetes using personalized nutrition plans backed by clinical research. Sami also shares his journey from humble beginnings on a Finnish farm to co-founding the real estate platform Trulia, and ultimately, Virta Health. Key highlights include the current state and effect of GLP1 drugs in America alongside the growing prevalence of diabetes, overcoming skepticism and resistance to adopting non-traditional treatments for chronic diseases, and the intersection of technology and healthcare overall.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!5:07 - Where did Sami grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?7:11 - Did Sami always think he would become a founder?9:12 - What was Sami’s plan when he finished college at Stanford?11:16 - When did Sami know it was time to start his journey as a founder?14:30 - What was the aha moment behind Trulia?17:57 - What were some lessons learned from Sami’s first startup journey?22:13 - How was Sami’s experience with his first startup being acquired by Zillow?25:56 - What is the core product of Virta Health?27:41 - What is Virta Health’s mission?31:43 - How does Sami feel about GLP 1 medications becoming mainstream?35:34 - What is Sami’s approach on go-to-market strategy with Virta?38:04 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Virta?40:07 - How has Virta changed its clients' lives?45:09 - What has been the hardest part of breaking into the healthcare space?47:21 - Who is a woman in Sami’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

In this episode of The Room Podcast, we sit down with Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute, a brand known for elevating the home essentials industry with a focus on comfort and wellness. Ariel shares her journey from a creative upbringing to her path through advertising, where she discovered her passion for building brands, eventually leading to the founding of Parachute.Join us as we dive into how Parachute taps into the wellness movement by focusing on the importance of sleep and home comfort. We explore the company's core product—bedding— and why it resonated with consumers looking for better home essentials. Ariel also shares insights on creating a brand from scratch while disrupting a market, the importance of consumer insights and communication in building a business, and the ups and downs of running a business while raising a family. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!4:50 - Where did Ariel grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?6:09 - Did Ariel ever think she would become a founder?7:35 - How did Ariel’s experience at NYU lead her to found Parachute?11:27 - What was the “aha moment” that encouraged the founding of Parachute?15:11 - Why did Ariel think online sales would be best?18:29 - What encouraged Ariel to take Parachute to brick and mortar?21:01 - When did Ariel realize it was time to raise capital?23:34 - What advice would Ariel give to other DTC founders?27:32 - What was a moment in Parachute’s life cycle when things didn’t go as planned?30:37 - What advice would Ariel give to founders facing uncertainties?32:24 - How does Ariel think the role of digital vs physical sales will change in the near future?35:05 - How does Ariel know when it’s time to launch a new product?37:20 - How does Ariel balance what she likes as a product vs what’s best for the business?39:06 - What advice does Ariel have for managing career and family balance?42:10 - Who is a woman in Ariel’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

Welcome back to a new season of The Room Podcast! To kick off Season 11, we're joined by Johnny Ho, co-founder of Perplexity, an AI-powered platform transforming the way everyday consumers interact with search. Johnny shares his path from competitive programming to entrepreneurship and offers insights into the development of Perplexity’s core product, which aims to deliver precise, reliable answers in a simple, intuitive way.In this episode, we covered topics such as how Perplexity uses AI to deliver accurate and reliable search results using multiple LLMs, building a user-first product in a competitive tech space, and the importance of finding investors who want to work with you in the right ways. Want to work with Perplexity? Apply here!For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!5:05 - Where did Johnny grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?5:42 - Did Johnny always think he was going to be a founder?6:21 - How did Johnny get into competitive programming?7:23 - What brought Johnny to start working at Quora?8:06 - What lessons did Johnny take away from his time at Quora?8:49 - How did Johnny meet his cofounders of Perplexity?9:17 - Why did Johnny, Arvin, and Dennis decide to start a company together?10:01 - Why did Johnny think Arvin and Dennis would be good partners?10:56 - What was the “aha moment” that inspired the core product of Perplexity?12:04 - Why was user interface so important to Johnny and the team?13:26 - What was the decision-making process behind implementing a unique feature allowing consumers to choose what LLM they use?16:09 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Perplexity?17:06 - What advice does Johnny have regarding picking the right investors to partner with?18:11 - What’s a fun story or anecdote from founding Perplexity?19:11 - When should a founder consider trying a new idea/ altering their concept?20:32 - How is Perplexity’s go-to-market strategy changing with its success?21:39 - How is Perplexity differentiating themselves from their competitors?23:21 - Is B2B selling a part of Perplexity’s future plans?24:51 - How does Johnny get authentic reviews from customers?26:03 - What was a moment in Perplexity’s life cycle when things didn’t go as planned?27:22 - Is it possible that some of Perplexity’s partners could be future competitors?29:43 - Has Perplexity created a governing board?30:00 - What’s next for Perplexity? 30:59 - What’s next for Johnny Personally31:45 - Who is a woman in Johnny’s life that had an impact on him and his career?Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

In this episode, we dive into the Future of DTC panel from this summer’s Inside Summit. This panel was moderated by our very own Claudia Laurie, who is also the founder of Prive, a leading eCommerce billing platform. In this discussion, the panelists explore the future of DTC, how to build authentic brand communities, building a celebrity brand, challenges and opportunities around customer acquisition and retention, and advice for brand founders and builders. This conversation includes an incredible mix of perspectives from leading brands, agencies, and tech partners. Our panelists included: Nik Sharma is widely known as “The DTC Guy,” a Forbes 30 Under 30 member, AdWeek’s Young & Influential, and a resource that brands and investors turn to for growth. Nik is the founder and CEO of Sharma Brands, where clients include Feastables, Jolie, Milk Bar, Everlane and more. Outside of Sharma Brands, Nik writes a newsletter to 50,000 investors, founders, and marketers and is also the co-host of Limited Supply, an award-winning marketing podcast.  Scout Brisson is the CEO of De Soi, a line of sparkling non-alcoholic apéritifs, co-founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan. Scout's professional journey spans over seven years in management consulting at McKinsey, and venture capital at M13.In 2020, Scout co-founded better-for-you CPG brand, DEUX, innovating a functional alternative with edible cookie dough.  Marissa Steinmetz is an accomplished digital product leader with 13+ years of eCcommerce and omnichannel expertise. She is currently the Head of Digital Product, eCommerce at Coterie and has spent her career helping well-known brands and businesses transform their digital enterprises, including Moda Operandi, Pernod Ricard, Drunk Elephant, and Target. Breana Teubner is COO of TYB, a community rewards platform with customers like Glossier, Urban Outfitters, JuneShine, and Rare Beauty. Prior to TYB, she helped scale Skillz, the first pay-to-earn gaming platform to go public - and was an executive at Walmart and Gap. She is an LP in two early-stage funds, Let’s Open the Door!

In this episode, we dive into the Future of Platforms panel from this summer’s Inside Summit. This panel was moderated by Alexandra York, Associate Editor at Forbes and a key figure behind the 30 Under 30 lists. Alexandra brings her expertise in covering young entrepreneurs and emerging brands to guide a discussion on the evolving digital platform space. In this discussion, the panelists explore the future of digital platforms, the impact of social commerce, and how they’re navigating challenges like AI integration, community engagement, and finding the right revenue models. They also share personal insights on pivoting, fundraising, and defining success in today’s competitive tech landscape. Our panelists included:• Emma Bates, CEO and co-founder of Diem, a social search engine pioneering a new, inclusive internet for women. With a background in partnerships at Away and community-building at Whalar, Emma is a recognized advocate for gender equity in the digital world.• Miri Buckland, COO and co-founder of Landing, a social commerce app revolutionizing how Gen Z interacts with shoppable content. Miri's experience spans corporate strategy and consumer tech, with a passion for fostering creativity and community.• Judy Thelen, CEO and co-founder of Beli, a platform transforming how consumers discover and recommend restaurants globally, with over 30 million ratings across 30,000 cities since its launch.• Dylan Diamond, co-founder and CEO of Saturn, a calendar platform tailored for high school students, with significant backing from top-tier investors. Dylan’s journey includes a stint as Tesla’s youngest software engineer and recognition as a Thiel Fellow. Let’s Open the Door!

In this episode of The Room Podcast, we recap the Inside Summit x Gen AI Collective panel, moderated by Sriram Ramakrishnan. The panel featured Vaikkunth Mugunthan (Dynamo AI), Hassaan Raza (Tavus), Ankur Patel (Multimodal), and Lulu Chang (Canapi Ventures), who shared their insights on the challenges and opportunities in the AI landscape. Key questions discussed: 1. Career Journeys: What led each panelist to venture into AI or invest in it? 2. Fundraising for AI: How does raising funds for AI-focused startups differ from other ventures? What’s the investor perspective? 3. Enterprise Adoption: What hesitations do enterprises have regarding AI, and how can companies overcome them? 4. Building Sustainable AI Businesses: What are the keys to long-term success in AI? 5. Unlocking Mass Adoption: What needs to happen for AI to see widespread adoption in enterprises? 6. This episode is a must-listen for those interested in AI’s growing role in enterprise and the practical steps to navigate this evolving field. About Gen AI Collective: The Gen AI Collective is a community dedicated to fostering innovation and collaboration within the generative AI space. By bringing together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors, the collective aims to accelerate the development and adoption of AI technologies that transform industries and improve human experiences.

Episode StructureIntroductionKJ Sidberry's BackgroundCareer Pivots and Decision-Making FrameworksAdvice for FoundersInsights for FundersIndustry Experience and Market ChangesConclusionKey Discussion Points1. KJ Sidberry's BackgroundEast Coast upbringing between Connecticut and NYCExposure to entrepreneurship and education through parentsEarly rejection led to a pivot in career direction2. Career Pivots and Decision-Making FrameworksPivot 1: Consulting to VC (Forerunner Ventures)Three key priorities in decision-makingPivot 2: Forerunner Ventures to GVPrioritizing family and career growth3. Advice for FoundersImportance of pre-existing relationships with investorsThree key traits that catch attention during pitches:MagnetismDeep curiosityFounder-market fitTip: Consider using memo format for pitches4. Insights for FundersRed flag when evaluating founders: "Lack of paranoia"How to be a good board member:Speak lessOffer contextualized perspectiveStay informed between meetings5. Industry Experience and Market ChangesEvolution of VC landscape since 2017First deal experience: Alchemy43 (MedSpa company)Current investment thesis: "Small communities that aren't actually that small"Changes in the VC market since 2017Predictions for emerging technologies (focus on AI)

In this episode: Dive into the highlights of our intimate gathering of 120 talented friends from the DTC spaceGet a taste of the dynamic perspectives and human connections that made Inside Summit uniquePreview the upcoming episodes featuring panel conversations with leaders in:• Generative AI• Consumer social platforms• DTC• And more! We're thrilled to share how our pandemic side hustle has blossomed into a vibrant in-person community of impressive leaders. Join us as we recap the most powerful takeaways and key learnings from this extraordinary event.Don't miss the rest of this 5-part series, releasing weekly, to experience the full impact of Inside Summit!

Welcome to the finale of Season 10 of The Room Podcast! In this episode, we're thrilled to sit down with Ben Goodwin, Co-Founder of OLIPOP, a pioneering beverage company at the intersection of taste and gut health. Ben takes us on a journey through his upbringing and how it shaped his worldview, his pivotal realization about lifestyle changes, and the catalysts that drove him to become a founder.Join us as we delve into the core product of OLIPOP and its unique approach to promoting gut health through delicious, low-sugar beverages. Plus, we explore the health components of OLIPOP's offerings, shedding light on the company's commitment to providing nutritious alternatives to traditional sodas rather than other more risky weight loss tactics.  Some key topics in the episode are; cultivating a community through strong branding and DTC marketing, gut health and beverage innovation of today, and observing consumer trends and demands while maintaining sustainable practices.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:03 - Where did Ben grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:44 - What made Ben realize that he needed to change his lifestyle?9:34 - Did Ben’s drive to make an impact lead him to become a founder?12:37 - What lessons did Ben take from his early founding journeys?18:56 - What is the core product of Olipop?21:41 - What are the health components of Olipop?26:41 - When did Olipop realize they had a skill for DTC marketing?30:39 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Olipop?32:53 - What advice does Ben have for founders looking to take on Venture Capital?36:53 - What was a time in Ben’s career when things didn’t go as planned?41:06 - How did Olipop think about creating a community through its marketing?44:19 - How do Ben and Olipop feel about “get healthy quick” alternatives?47:17 - What is Ben’s favorite Olipop flavor?47:49 - What’s next for Olipop?48:33 - Who is a woman in Ben’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

Welcome back to The Room Podcast! This week, we're excited to sit with and interview Matt Martin, Co-founder of Clockwise, a revolutionary productivity platform. Matt shares his career journey, detailing his evolution from tech enthusiast to the founding team of Clockwise, why he founded Clockwise, and his passion for properly utilized software.Matt elaborates on Clockwise's success in providing efficient scheduling solutions, leveraging advanced technology with intuitive design. In our conversation, we explore Clockwise’s approach, using AI to transform time management for professionals and reshaping the way individuals approach their schedules. Throughout the episode, we explore key topics such as the evolution of Clockwise's go-to-market strategy versus adoption strategy, the seamless integration of AI technology with human workflows, and the recent importance and societal demand for inclusive solutions in the realm of professional productivity. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:03 - Where did Matt grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:13 - Did Matt always think he was going to become a founder?7:22 - How was Matt’s experience at Dartmouth and how did it shape his early career?10:55 - What was Maatt’s first entrepreneurial endeavor and how did it go?14:08 - What was the “aha moment” that encouraged Matt to start a business?16:54 - What was the initial product of Clockwise?20:40 - How did Clockwise reach Hallmark Brands such as Netflix, Uber, and Twitter?23:38 - What was the go-to-market strategy of Clockwise and how did they proceed to drive adoption?28:11 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Clockwise?29:11 - When was a time in founding Clockwise when things didn’t go as planned?34:37 - Why is now the time for AI calendar innovation?39:09 - How have people begun using calendars differently and how has that shaped Clockwise’s product?42:20 - What’s next for Matt personally?42:52 - Who is a woman in Matt’s life that has a profound impact on him and his career? WX Productions

We are back with another installment of The Room Podcast! This week, we are joined by Meghan Joyce, the visionary CEO behind Duckbill, a revolutionary, AI-powered life management service. Listen in as Meghan shares her journey from pivotal roles at Uber and Oscar Health to founding Duckbill, where she's pioneering accessible solutions for the modern adult.We delve into Meghan's mission of democratizing access to assistance, exploring how Duckbill combines cutting-edge technology and human expertise to tackle life's endless time-consuming, and energy-draining tasks. Hear how Meghan's passion for addressing societal needs led her to redefine the concept of life management, making it more affordable and accessible for all. In this episode, we explore insights and themes such as the balance of B2C versus B2B go-to-market, building cutting-edge AI platforms alongside human-driven services, and the societal shift towards inclusive support systems for working families.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:23 - Where did Meghan grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:21 - Did Meghan always think that she was going to be a founder?9:27 - How did Meghan's experience at Harvard play into her career trajectory? 12:39 - Why did Meghan join Uber and how was her experience with the company?17:58 - How did Meghan go from Uber to Oscar Health?20:26 - What did Meghan learn about growing a company at scale during her time with Oscar Health?22:46 - What was the initial “aha moment” that inspired Meghan to star Duckbill?26:03 - Is there a lesson learned from Harvard that Meghan thinks of often?28:00 - What role does AI play in Duckbill’s product?31:08 - Why did Meghan run an extensive beta and what advice would she give about going to market? 36:08 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Duckbill?38:31 - Would Duckbill ever create its own AI product instead of utilizing other popular AI products?41:11 - Where does Meghan think AI application technologies are going and where does Duckbill fit in?42:45 - How did Duckbill come up with their B2C go-to-market strategy and will they ever go B2B?44:42 - What was a moment when things didn’t go as planned during Meghan’s founding journey?47:08 - How does Meghan balance running a company while starting a family?49:45 - Who is a woman in Meghan’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Welcome to the latest episode of The Room Podcast! Today, we have the privilege of hosting Eva Ho, the co-founder of Fika Ventures, a driving force in the tech startup ecosystem. Eva Ho is no stranger to breaking barriers, and in this episode, she offers candid advice for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to carve their own paths. Join us as Eva takes us through her journey from her early days in the tech industry to her current role as a trailblazing venture capitalist. In this episode, we explore the role of personal history in professional pathways, knowing when to leave and take the leap of faith as a founder, and the evolution of the emerging manager landscape. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur, an aspiring fund manager, or simply intrigued by the inner workings of venture capital, this episode is packed with wisdom and inspiration from one of the industry's most respected voices. Tune in as Eva Ho shares her vision for the future of technology and entrepreneurship.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:33 - Where did Eva grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:31 - Did Eva always think she was meant to be a founder?9:17 - How has the culture around entrepreneurship changed over time at Harvard?14:48 - What brought Eva to the tech industry?17:50 - Why has Eva become an angel investor?20:51 - How did Eva get involved with Susa?22:18 - When did Eva realize it was time to leave Susa?25:41 - What is the mission behind Fika?27:26 - Who was the first team to say yes to investing in Fika?29:35 - How does Fika decide what industries it invests in?32:57 - When does Eva know it’s time to say yes to investing in something?36:58 - What does Eva look for in a founder who encourages her to support them?41:48 - Why is Eva passionate about All Raise and how has it shaped her career?44:37 - What are some recent projects that Eva is excited about?46:17 - Who is a woman who has had a profound impact on Eva and her career?WX Productions

This week, we are excited to return with another LIVE rendition of The Room Podcast! Last December Madison and Claudia traveled down to Miami for Art Basel to sit down live with some incredible guests. We are joined by Daniel Betts, founder of Blue Frontier Labs, and Tosh Ernest, Head of SVB Catalyst 2045, a new program started by SVB to further support under-represented founders across every industry. In this episode, we delve into Daniel's early career in the energy sector, where he recognized the pressing need for efficient air conditioning solutions. From merging fuel cell technology to founding Blue Frontier Labs, explore the intersection of digital and physical solutions in the cleantech space as Daniel shares his vision for a sustainable future and the transformative impact of investing in cleantech companies. Plus, Tosh discusses the importance of founders forging strong banking relationships, such as SVB’s partnership with Daniel, to support startups through various stages of growth. Discover how SVB Catalyst 2045 empowers underrepresented founders and drives innovation in emerging segments, reshaping the entrepreneurship landscape.This week's episode covers topics such as Blue Frontier’s innovative approach to air conditioning, the value of strong banking relationships, and the importance of diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 8:16 - Where did Daniel grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?9:26 - Did Daniel always think she was going to become a founder?10:42 - Why did Daniel turn his attention to the energy problem space?12:13 - How did Daniel’s prior work experience lead him to founding Blue Frontier?15:17 - What was the initial product that Daniel and Blue Frontier launched?17:46 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Blue Frontier?19:13 - How is SVB uniquely positioned to best service founders like Daniel as they tackle big problems and start their journey of building the next big thing?23:01 - Why is it important for founders to have strong relationships with their banking partners?24:44 - Why has Daniel’s relationship with SVB been so important to the success of Blue Frontier?26:32 - How does SVB help founders from inception to IPO and everything in between?28:39 - What was Daniel’s go-to-market strategy with Blue Frontier?31:07 - What advice would Daniel give other founders in the advanced energy technology space?35:22 - Why is Daniel excited about Cleantech?38:29 - What is SVB Catalyst 2045?41:34 - What are some upcoming exciting projects coming from Catalyst 2045?43:25 - Who is a woman in Tosh’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?46:26 - Who is a woman in Daniel’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

We’re back with another installment of The Room Podcast! In this episode, we're honored to host Julie Rice, the co-founder of SoulCycle and Peoplehood. Join us as Julie shares her journey from revolutionizing the fitness industry with SoulCycle to her latest venture, focused on strengthening human connections.We discuss the genesis of SoulCycle, exploring how it became a cultural phenomenon by fostering community and motivation beyond traditional fitness. Julie also sheds light on Peoplehood, a practice aimed at enhancing relationships through guided group conversations. Julie re-defined a category with SoulCycle and now she's doing it again with making self-workouts a habit in building stronger relationships with Peoplehood. Key topics include finding your own entrepreneurial path, the importance of transparency and investing in people, and Julie's thoughts for founders thinking about acquisition or strategic partnership. Whether you're into fitness, entrepreneurship, or building connections, this episode offers valuable insights from a true trailblazer. We're also excited to offer a special Peoplehood promo code for The Room Podcast listeners. Simply use the code "Peoplehood1" for one free Gather!For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:32 - Where did Julie grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:06 - Did Julie always think she was going to become a founder?8:12 - What was the entertainment industry like when Julie was a part of it?10:31 - What was the “aha moment” that led to the founding of Soul Cycle?13:52 - How did Julie and Elizebeth come up with the product of Soul Cycle?18:15 - When did Julie think that Soul Cycle had reached product market fit?20:49 - How was word-of-mouth marketing impactful to the growth of Soul Cycle?22:41 - What does it mean to get acquired or to sell or to chart an exit strategy and, what advice does Julie have for founders looking to sell?28:10- How did Julie and Elizebeth come up with the product of Peoplehood?33:56 - What can consumers expect from Peoplehood?39:57 - Where does Peoplehood lie on the spectrum of spiritual to tactical?42:35 - What can consumers look forward to in the future of Peoplehood?44:19 - What’s next for Julie, personally?45:53 - What is Julie’s favorite music to Soul Cycle along to?47:18 - Who was a woman in Julie’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Welcome back to The Room Podcast! In today's episode, we're thrilled to have Larry Diamond, co-founder of ZIP, joining us for an insightful conversation. Larry and his co-founder, Peter Gray, identified a critical gap in the market, leading to the birth of ZIP. This episode delves into the evolution of digital payments, exploring ZIP's role in providing seamless financial solutions for businesses of all sizes.In this episode, we discuss the transformative impact of ZIP on the fintech ecosystem, the importance of innovation in the digital finance space, and Larry's advice for budding entrepreneurs navigating the enterprise SaaS sector. Tune in for an up-to-date discussion on the future of finance, transparent M&A strategies, and the vital role of user-friendly, secure financial solutions. Whether you're a fintech enthusiast or a budding entrepreneur, this episode is jam-packed with wisdom and inspiration.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:42 - Where did Larry grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:27 - Did Larry always think he would become a founder?7:45 - What key lessons did Larry learn early on in his career? 10:51 - When did Larry meet his business partner, Peter?12:20 - Why did Larry and Peter start Zip?13:35 - What was the initial product and go-to-market strategy of Zip?16:27 - When did Larry realize they were having a successful product-market fit?18:28 - Who was the first person to invest in Zip?20:45 - What insights does Larry have from his experience of a unique capitalization structure?23:35 - When was a time when things did not go as planned?25:43 - What was Zip’s Go-To-Market strategy for their core customers? 27:42 - How does Zip consider banks stakeholders and partners in their ecosystem?  30:05 - How was Zip’s expansion into the US market?31:32 - What advice would Larry give founders looking to break into the US market?33:38 - How is Zip thinking about putting its customer base at the core of its business?36:55 - What is Zip looking forward to in 2024?39:18 - What’s next for Larry in the new year?40:30 - Who is a woman in Larry’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

Welcome back to another new season of The Room Podcast! Season 10 kicks off with an exploration into the world of health and wellness entrepreneurship featuring Katerina Schneider, the innovative founder and CEO of Ritual. Join us as we uncover the story behind Ritual, a company that revolutionized the supplement industry. Dive into Katerina's journey, her insights on transparency, and how Ritual's approach is reshaping the way we view vitamins. It's an episode filled with inspiration and a closer look at the visionary mind behind this wellness sensation.Key topics in this episode include; challenging traditional norms in an industry, the importance of transparency in wellness products, and products reflecting a commitment to consumers.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:03 - Where did Kat grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?6:02 - Did Kat always think she was going to be a founder?7:00 - How was Kat’s early career as an investment banker?8:58 - How did Kat become the global lead of digital innovation at Universal Music Group?11:04 - How did Kat’s career experience prepare her for being a founder?13:14 - When did it occur to Kat that there was a gap in the market that she needed to solve?15:45 - How did Kat think about other gaps in the healthcare ecosystem and did she feel uniquely positioned to solve them?20:08 - What was Ritual’s first product/vitamin and how did the idea come around?22:19 - What did Kat learn as an early mover in the direct-to-consumer healthcare space?24:41 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Ritual?26:14 - How was Kat’s experience of raising a family while starting a company?27:54 - What was a moment in Ritual’s development where things didn’t go as planned?30:26 - How has Kat’s experience been going omnichannel and bringing Ritual to retail?33:10 - What is Ritual’s tech stack?36:10 - What advice does Kat have for other CPG founders of today?39:07 - Who was a woman in Kat’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Welcome back to Season 9 of The Room Podcast. In our final episode of the season, we sit with Cristina Junqueira. Cristina co-founded Nubank, a Brazilian fintech that revolutionized the industry with its user-friendly digital banking services. Nubank's transparent fee structures and mobile app have disrupted traditional banking, setting a new industry standard. Their innovative approach has made a significant impact, especially in Latin America, where Nubank has gained wide popularity. When NuBank went public in December of 2021 it was valued at 45 billion at IPO.In this episode, we discuss key themes for today's business world, including product diversification, innovation as a practical strategy, customer-centricity, problem-solving, and the importance of resilience in a dynamic environment.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here!4:38 - Where did Cristina grow up and how did this shape her view of the world?7:22 - When Cristina was younger did she always want to become a founder?8:40 - Why did Cristina get an MBA and come to the U.S.?10:27 - What were some learnings from Cristina’s early career?13:41 - What was the “aha moment” that inspired Cristina and David to start Nubank?16:19 - What was the initial product of Nubank?18:48 - Why does Cristina think word of mouth was so important to the success of Nubank?20:52 - What advice does Cristina have for any new founders in the fintech world?22:23 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Nubank?24:05 - How was the experience of starting a daily while also starting a business?26:52 - Are there any memorable moments from the IPO of Nubank?28:49 - What was a moment in Nubank's life cycle where things didn't go as planned? 31:40 - What should customers be excited about for the future of Nubank?33:46 - What trends has Cristina seen over the past year as the global economy is shifting and how has that impacted what products customers leveraging?  35:46 - What are Cristina’s thoughts on the future of leadership in fintech?38:01 - Who is a woman in Cristina’s life who has had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Welcome back to another episode of The Room Podcast! This week’s guest is Christelle Rohaut, the CEO and co-founder of Codi. Christelle and Codi are leading the way to happier urban living through innovative approaches encompassing remote work, sustainability, and intelligent urban design. That’s why Codi’s mission is to offer more flexible and secure office spaces, providing a convenient alternative to traditional office setups. Companies of all sizes use Codi to attract and retain talent, reduce commuting hassles, and adapt to evolving needs, contributing to a broader workplace revolution. In this episode, we expand on ideas such as personal transformation through parenthood as a catalyst for achieving business success, transforming underutilized neighborhood spaces into flexible hubs for businesses to share and revitalize local economies, and emphasizing in-person interactions, and streamlining operations to maximize supply and demand matching.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:29 - Where did Christelle grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?5:00 - Did Christelle always think she would become a founder?5:39 - Where does Christelle get her interest in cities?6:39 - What is a key difference between cities in France and cities in the States?7:51 - How has Christelle’s previous work impacted her journey as a founder?10:26 - What was the earliest inception of what Codi could and should be? 12:16 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Codi?13:38 - How has Codi’s core product evolved over time?14:10 - What was Codi’s original cord product?15:39 - How did Codi’s roadmap change over time?17:50 - What does Christelle think about the current commercial real estate climate?19:18 - How does Christelle adapt to changes in the commercial real estate market?21:34 - How are startups plugging into the current commercial real estate landscape?34:28 - How does Christelle envision being creative about a business model that's breaking in front of our eyes? 26:56 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Codi?27:38 - What advice would Christelle give to someone who is going out into the market today?29:24 - What was a moment in Codi's life cycle where things didn't go quite as planned?32:17 - How does Christelle think about marketplace growth and how does that affect the future of Codi?34:02 - Where does Christelle think physical space for startups and businesses is going to be in the next five years?35:23 - What is Christelle excited about in her personal life?35:48 - Who is a woman in Christelle’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career? WX Productions

We continue this season of The Room Podcast with another incredible guest, Christina Cacioppo, co-founder and CEO of Vanta. Vanta is an automated security monitoring platform that helps companies get SOC 2, HIPAA, or ISO certified quickly and easily. We and Christina share experiences working for Dropbox as she details what she learned from her time there and how that impacted her decision to start Vanta.In this episode, we learn more about topics such as transitioning from product manager to founder and the path of finding a problem to solve, product and marketing differentiation in the competitive landscape of enterprise SaaS and, building out an early enterprise Go-To-Market team in motion. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:10 - Where did Christina grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?4:49 - Did Christina always think she was going to become a founder?6:16 - How did Christina’s first jobs in venture impact her?8:14 - What was the “aha moment” when Christina knew she wanted to start her first company?10:30 - How was Christina’s experience at Dropbox?13:14 - What was the “aha moment” when Christina knew she wanted to start Vanta?14:17 - What is the core product of Vanta?16:41 - What key problem is Vanta working to solve?18:17 - How should a company think about the right time to get compliant?19:59 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Vanta?21:06 - What advice would Christina give founders thinking about getting started in the security space today?22:42 What was a moment in Vanta's life cycle where things did not go as planned?24:38 - How do Christina and Vanta consider differentiating themselves in the market?28:29 -  How did Christina think about building and scaling her company from a Go-To-Market perspective?31:18 - How is Vanta thinking about AI?32:18 - How can we build an ecosystem that works to achieve parity with SAS companies founded by women?34:39 - What is Christina looking forward to in her personal life?36:08 -  Who is a woman in Christina’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

We are back again with another episode of the The Room Podcast! We take a deep dive into blockchain technology with Kathleen Breitman, the co-founder of Tezos. Kathleen sets the stage for a fascinating discussion about Tezos' contributions to the blockchain space. We talk about Tezos’ self-amending nature and community-driven governance, how companies are tokenizing real assets on Tezos, and how these features drove Tezos to become a pioneering force in the blockchain industry.In this episode, we cover themes such as security in the early blockchain landscape, approaches to funding startups in the crypto space, self-governance in Web3, and the current regulatory environment. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:00 - Where did Kathleen grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?4:50 - Did Kathleen always think she was going to become a founder?6:46 - How did going to an all-girls school impact Kathleen?8:29 - How did Kathleen end up working in the blockchain industry and what was the landscape like when she started?12:14 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Tezos?14:39 - What pushed Kathleen to make Tezos one of the first blockchains to leverage a proof of stake mechanism to provide high security and low energy usage compared to the popular proof of work chains? 16:30 - How was Kathleen’s fundraising journey for Tezos?19:42 - What was a moment when starting Tezos when things didn’t go as planned?26:25 - What is Kathleen looking forward to in the back half of 2023?29:43 -  What are Kathleen’s thoughts regarding some of the reputational damage that has been done by bad actors in the blockchain ecosystem?32:38 - What are some current projects that Kathleen is looking forward to?35:27 - How is Kathleen thinking about the relationship between self-governance and the current regulatory environment?37:25 - How has Kathleen’s work in the blockchain ecosystem interacted with the art world, and how does she see that aspect of crypto really evolving?39:37 - Who is a woman in Kathleen’s life that has a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Hey, The Room Podcast Family!In this exciting episode of the series, we dive headfirst into the open-source world of tech entrepreneurship with Guillermo Rauch, the visionary founder behind Vercel and Next.js. Guillermo takes us on his incredible journey, from growing up in Argentina to moving to Switzerland to becoming a driving force in shaping the future of web development. He shares the pivotal moments that led to the creation of Vercel, the platform that's revolutionizing front-end development on top of the react framework.Join us as we explore the tech landscape and gain insights into Guillermo’s journey from MooTools to Next.js to Vercel, many pieces of advice for founders in the open-source landscape about timing and fundraising, the future of open-source development alongside AI, and much more!For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:29 - Where did Guillermo grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:00 - Did Guillermo always think he was going to become a founder? 7:12 - What inspired the creation of MooTools?9:13 - What was it like moving across the world to Switzerland and then to San Francisco after, especially during this “post .com boom”?11:23 - What advice does Guillermo have for founders considering acquisition opportunities?15:46 - How did Socket and Mongoose change the development landscape and what did Guillermo learn through co-authoring and contributing to those projects?18:58 - What was Guillermo’s experience co-authoring Next.js?22:26 - What was the “aha moment” that led to creating Vercel and the early Go-To-Market strategy with it? 27:56 - How was Guillermo’s transition from Next.js to Vercel and how do the two differ?31:33 - How did Guillermo unlock his first enterprise customers and what advice does he have for founders who are also looking to make that leap? 35:05 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Vercel?36:52 - What advice does Guillermo have for founders working in open source who are thinking of getting fundraising?38:43 - What was a moment in Guillermo’s journey with Vercel when things just did not go as planned?40:48 - What is Guillermo’s take on the future of AI and development and what's next on Vercel's roadmap in regards to AI?46:25 - What is Guillermo excited about for this upcoming year?47:22 - Who is a woman in Guillermo’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

We are back again this week with another episode of The Room Podcast! This week we are joined by Julianna and Reed, the co-founders of Stych. TTopics in this episode include; the need for transparency and enabling conversations for potential M&A deals in the startup environment, the need for a more user-friendly and secure authentication method, and advice for other up-and-coming founders in the enterprise SaaS space.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:00 - Where did Julianna and Reed grow up and how did that shape their view of the world?7:27 - Did Juliana ever think that becoming a founder would be something she pursued? 9:47 - How did Reed relate to being a founder when growing up and what was his path from undergrad to becoming a founder?12:32 - How did Julianna and Reed meet at Plaid?17:38 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Stych?22:05 - Who are the core buyers of Stych and what is the Go-To-Market strategy for Stych?24:39 - What advice would Julianna and Reed give to new founders in the enterprise SaaS space?27:39 - What advice do Julianna and Reed have for deciding if someone is a good partner?32:10 - Who was the first person who said yes to investing in Stytch?33:27 - What was a moment when things did not go as planned?35:25 - What are some learnings from being the buyer persona for another startup that is looking to sell to another startup?38:17 -  What was/is the most successful growth channel? And how have Julianna and Reed thought about outbound versusinbound marketing as a result? 40:25 - What's kind of next for Julianna and Reed personally?42:44 - Who is a woman in your life that has had a profound impact on you and your career? WX Productions

Season 9 continues with another multi-dimensional guest. DeVon “Devo” Harris went from producing platinum records with G.O.O.D. Music to founding Adventr, an interactive AI-powered marketing tool that makes content more interactive to reach and connect with audiences more easily. “Adventr makes it easy to create smart, interactive video content that allows engaged viewers to connect with your message on demand.”In this episode we discuss; when to use the art of “fake it till you make it,” how to challenge other people’s perceptions, how to apply lessons from one industry to another, and the future of interactive content. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:00 - Where did Devo grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:27 - Did Devo always think he would become a founder?7:10 - How did Devo find his passion for writing and producing music?8:00 - What was Devo’s first job after college?11:18 - How did Devo come up with the idea to start G.O.O.D. Music?13:54 - What were some of the early highlights of G.O.O.D. Music?17:27 - What lessons did Devo take from the music industry that he applies to being a founder?21:30 - Was there ever a sense of satisfaction when receiving rewards for music?23:12 - How did Devo feel when he joined Vimeo?27:36 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the creation of Adventr?32:11 - Who are the buyers of Adventr and how did that impact the go-to-market strategy?33:50 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Adventr?35:44 - What was a moment when things didn’t go as planned?37:08 - What’s next for Adventr?41:14 - What work has Devo done with the Lehman program?43:06 - Who is a woman in Devo’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

Welcome back to another season of The Room! We are kicking off Season 9 by diving into healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship with Iman Abuzeid, the visionary Co-founder & CEO of Incredible Health. Incredible Health partners with hospitals to hire nurses more effectively by flipping the recruiting standard on its head and having hospitals search for nurses instead of the other way around. Incredible Health is known for its software that sources experienced candidates, so recruiters have more time to interview and close candidates.In this episode topics include; what helped Incredible Health stand out in the healthcare labor marketplace, when to bring investors into your process, what impacts the pandemic is having on recruiting, and the future of the healthcare labor market. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:52 - Where did Iman grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?5:23 - Did Iman always think she would become a founder?6:48 - How was Iman’s experience in college learning about healthcare?8:51 - How did Iman’s experience in consulting assist her in healthcare?10:46 - What lessons did Iman learn early on as a founder?13:26 - How did Iman’s previous founding experiences impact what became Incredible Health?14:18 - What was the early vision of Incredible Health?16:16 - Why is it so important to have hospitals search for nurses instead of the other way around?18:20 - What are some of the supply restraints in this market?19:48 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Incredible Health?22:22 - What value did investors and investment capital add to the journey?24:11 - What are examples of a time when things didn’t go as planned?26:32 - How did Iman approach selling to hospitals, a notoriously challenging clientele?28:44 - What were some of the first hospitals to sign on and why did they?30:21 - How does Increible Health balance keeping both nurses and recruiters happy?31:47 - How is Incredible Health thinking about the future of Healthcare?34:01 - What long-term impacts does Iman see the pandemic having on staffing and recruiting?36:24 - What can we, as a society, do to better support healthcare professionals?38:31 - What has Iman’s perspective been as a female founder?40:26 - What’s next for Iman, personally?41:45 - Who is a woman who has had a profound impact on Iman’s life and career? WX Productions

While we are waiting for season 9, we are thrilled to share a podcast that we know you would love from our friends at Bessemer Venture Partners. Check out their podcast Wish I Knew's conversation with Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar. Wish I Knew is about the revelatory, life-changing aha moments that founders, CEOs and leaders discover along their business journeys and why taking risks leads to growth. Presented by Bessemer Venture Partners. From consultant to investor to CFO to CEO, Sarah Friar has a business acumen rivaled by few others. Today, Sarah Friar is at the helm of NextDoor, the social network that services over 300,000 neighborhoods globally. On Wish I Knew, she shared why you should pay attention to what you both love and hate about your job, why strong conviction in a market thesis can buoy you through hard times, and why it’s never a bad time to raise money. She shares how she navigated her career and trusted her intuition to make smart decisions along the way. Listen to all the Wish I Knew episodes at bvp.com/wish-i-knew and subscribe to them wherever you get your podcasts!

In our season 8 finale, we explore the world of TYB, or Try Your Best, a community management platform that directly engages and rewards fans for taking action, founded by CEO Ty Haney, former founder and CEO of Outdoor Voices. Discover how TYB revolutionizes customer engagement, loyalty, and retention through its innovative platform. Explore their groundbreaking approach of using digital membership collectibles to create a sense of ownership and reward customers for their daily actions. Additionally, learn about Ty Haney’s path from being a brand founder with Outdoor Voices to launching TYB to further her mission of connecting brands and fans. Through TYB, Ty and Breana are seamlessly connecting engagement activity to purchase data, empowering businesses with valuable insights for small-scale and enterprise brands alike.In today's episode, we explore themes such as leveraging communities as growth channels, acquiring long-term customers in e-commerce given the current shifts in data regulation, and scaling effectively with an early-stage board. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 5:42 - Where did Ty and Breana grow up and how did that shape their views of the world?8:24 - Did Ty always think she would become a founder?11:52 - How was Breana’s transition from Capitol Hill to founding and building a company?13:43 - What was the “aha moment” that was the origin of Outdoor Voices?16:42 - How did Banana Republic respond to other up-and-coming D to C brands?19:32 - How did Outdoor Voices think about building community?21:54 - What was the initial concept for Try Your Best?24:06 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in TYB?24:45 - What was a moment in founding TYB when things didn’t go to plan?29:03 - What is TYB’s core product?33:45 - How does TYB work with skincare and fashion brands such as Topicals?38:10 - What do Ty and Breana think of the up-and-coming e-commerce tech stack?41:18 - How do Ty and Breana feel about the concept of a board?46:22 - What’s next for Ty and Breana in their personal lives?49:00 - Who is a woman in your life that has had a profound impact on you and your career?WX Productions

This week, we brought our conversation inside the room to a LIVE audience! Join us in this enlightening episode as we sit down with Yin Wu, the founder of Pulley, a groundbreaking company revolutionizing equity management for startups. Pulley provides innovative equity solutions that empower founders and streamline the complex processes of equity administration, cap table management, and employee equity grants. In today's riveting episode, we delve into the realm of cap table management, emphasizing the importance of adopting a long-term perspective. We also provide insightful guidance on building your inaugural sales team, challenge the notion of working smarter, not harder, and explore an additional theme of fostering a culture of innovation within your organization. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 6:37 - Where did Yin grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:12 - What was the inception of Yin moving out to California? 7:34 - When did Yin start having an interest in becoming a founder?9:39 - What were some of the learnings from previous companies; Oven Labs and Echo Locker?11:52 - What company did Yin apply to YC with? 12:54 - What advice would Yin give to founders about when is the right time to pivot?14:07 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Pulley?16:19 - Why cap tables? 17:23 - What is one common mistake that founders often make when dealing with cap tables putting together equity? 19:32 - How does Pulley help founders?21:36 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Pulley?22:36 - How was Yin’s experience fundraising during Covid?23:40 - What advice does Yin have for founders beginning their fundraising journey?25:32 - What was a moment when building Pulley that things didn’t go as planned?26:49 - What tips does Yin have for making difficult decisions?28:50 - What is Yin’s Go-To-Market strategy?30:21 - How has Pulley thought about products that can scale with larger companies? 31:44 - What advice does Yin have on building an initial team?34:31 - What advice would Yin give founders about competitive dynamics?35:55 - How does Yin balance being a mother and a founder?37:57 - What’s next for Yin and Pulley?38:49 - Who is a woman in Yin’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?WX Productions

Join us for an engaging conversation with Rahul Vohra, CEO and founder of Superhuman, the fast, efficient email client that has become a favorite among professionals. With its focus on productivity, Superhuman has revolutionized the way people manage their email, and has achieved a loyal following of users who enjoy its advanced features, such as keyboard shortcuts and the ability to snooze emails for later.In this episode, we explore the benefits of manual onboarding and how it has helped Superhuman build a loyal user base, Rahul shares insights on how to properly take advantage of the investment "game" and, how to navigate the current state of the seed stage for both founders and investors.Articles referenced in the Episode: Founders How to Stop Worrying and Love Being AcquiredHow Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market FitSuperHuman AI Announcement For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here!6:20 - Where did Rahul grow up and how did he become introduced to computer science?8:00 - Did Rahul always think he would become a founder?8:40 - How did working as a game designer shape Rahul’s approach to building digital products?9:56 - How many companies has Rahul founded and how were those experiences?12:39 - How was Rahul’s experience founding Reportive?16:30 - How are companies looking at productivity tools now versus 12 years ago?17:48 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Superhuman?19:38 - What inspired Rahul to include onboarding with Superhuman’s product?21:48 - When did Rahul realize that Superhuman had a substantial product market fit?25:04 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Superhuman?26:47 - What advice does Rahul have for seed stage and Series A stage founders?28:39 - What was a moment when things didn’t go as planned during Rahul’s founding journey?29:45 - How did Rahul react when his acquisition by LinkedIn nearly fell through?34:07 - How has Superhuman’s Go-To-Market strategy evolved over time?38:38 - How is selling to teams different than selling to individuals?40:47 - How is Superhuman thinking about AI?42:29 - What is Rahul’s perspective on new companies starting in the application space?44:16 - What’s next for Rahul?45:37 - Who is a woman in Rahul’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

In this episode, we sit down with Adam Turner, the CEO of Postscript, to discuss how his company is transforming the world of e-commerce. From boosting conversion rates to maximizing ROI, Postscript is the ultimate SMS marketing tool that's helping businesses achieve their goals. But don't just take our word for it - Postscript has raised over 106M to date from the likes of YC, Accomplice, Greylock, and more. Join us as Adam shares his experience starting a company with his brother and his insights on the ups and downs of direct-to-consumer marketing. Themes in this episode include the importance of building strong customer relationships and engaging with customers through personalized messaging, how Postscript is helping businesses maximize their ROI and drive revenue growth, and the future of the direct-to-consumer e-commerce space.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 4:31 - Where did Adam grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:02 - Did Adam always think he would become a founder?7:26 - How did Adam become interested in the commerce enablement space?11:20 - What did Adam learn from Stack Commerce that he carried with him to Postscript?15:12 -  Why in the late 2010s did SMS start to overtake email as a comms channel?17:54 - What was the “duct tape version” of the first product for Postscript?19:27 - How does Adam like running a business with his brother?21:42 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Postscript?23:05 - What was a moment in starting Postscript when things didn’t go as planned?26:01 - How was Postrscript able to earn a million in revenue prior to using any YC money?29:39 - How has Adam navigated competition and differentiation as his industry becomes more prevalent?32:19 - Has Adam observed any changes in DDC companies marketing spending habits?33:40 - Is Postscript considering incorporating AI into its product?36:50 - What role does Twilio play in Postscript's strategy?42:14 - What other commerce enablement companies are achieving success?43:54 - What’s next for Adam?45:16 - Who is a woman in Adam’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?WX Productions

This week we are taking it back to one of our favorite episodes where we interview Shishir Mehrotra, founder and CEO of Coda. Coda is a venture-backed workflow tool valued at over $600 million dollars. With Coda, docs are now as powerful as applications. Although Coda was started in 2014, Coda is more relevant now than ever as a key player in 2020’s “future of work.” Coda continues redefining what it means to stay organized, engaged, and effective even in our remote-first culture.In this episode, we explore Shishir’s path to building one of the world’s most powerful work tools- where the flexibility of a doc is combined with the power of a spreadsheet and application. We’ll explore insights and themes such as prioritizing opportunities that foster personal growth, the benefits of building a company in stealth and, scaling a distributed workforce and culture well. Let’s open the door.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.Check out our guide to podcasting here! 8:27 - Did Shishir always think he would become a founder?10:39 - Before the Cloud was standard use, Shishir founded Entrata, a data center management tool. What data did Shishir store and how?14:28 - What was it like fundraising right out of college?17:32 - How was Shishir’s experience working at Google and Youtube?23:15 - How did Shishir’s experience inspire his approach to starting Coda?29:52 - How has the company culture changed as Coda has scaled?33:52 - How will the return to work affect Coda and other companies?38:43 - What is Shishir’s unique philosophy to frame big problems?44:58 - How does Shishir balance work and family, especially during the pandemic?46:56 - Who is a woman in Shishir’s life that had a profound impact on his career?WX Productions

Looking to discover the story behind one of the most successful website-building platforms in the industry? Tune in to this episode of The Room Podcast, where we sit down with Vlad Magdalin, the founder of Webflow, for an in-depth conversation about his journey from designing websites for clients to building a powerful platform that has revolutionized the way we create websites. To date, Webflow has raised over $335M in funding from the likes of Accel, CapitalG, Draper Associates, and YC.Join us as we delve into the early days of Webflow and the challenges Vlad faced in bringing his vision to life. We'll explore how Webflow has evolved over the years and the key features that have made it a favorite among designers and developers alike. Vlad also shares his insights on the future of web design and development, including his thoughts on the rise of AI and no-code tools and the importance of accessibility in creating inclusive online experiences.In this episode, we discuss the importance of timing while building a startup and how ideas sometimes take years to come together, how Webflow established a multi-layered ecosystem for their customers and developers, and what’s ahead in the future of websites. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.5:33 - How did moving to a new country at a young age shape Vlad’s view of the world?7:59 - How did Vlad’s childhood shape how he operates as a founder?10:02 - Why did Vlad love digital design and animation in college?12:22 - How was Vlad’s first startup experience?16:12 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Webflow?20:48 - What encouraged Vlad to focus on Webflow full-time?26:33 - Who was the first investor to say yes to Vlad and Webflow?29:32 - Who are the core customers of Webflow and what was the initial go-to-market strategy?34:48 - How does Vlad see Webflow's position in power and commerce beyond the storefront?36:56 - How is Webflow thinking about the future of websites and generative AI?38:53 - Is there a language model or transformer that Webfow is considering partnering with in thefuture?40:03 - How many websites has Webflow helped build?40:53 - What’s next for Vlad and Webflow?43:11 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Vlad and his career?WX Productions

Join us for another insightful conversation with Jaclyn Rice Nelson, the visionary CEO and founder of Tribe AI. Tribe AI is a firm that provides and connects AI and machine learning-focused engineers to businesses wanting to optimize their operations and make data-driven decisions. Jackie noticed a gap in the market where many specialized AI/ ML engineers were only hired via the occasional ad-hoc consulting gig. However, she knew there were countless companies that desperately needed the help of exactly these experts. She wanted to build a new market for leveraging AI experts. This was the birth of Tribe AI. Themes in this episode navigating the windy path to identifying a gap in the market, alternative ways to start, fund, and scale a startup, and the future of AI in today’s market, including a discussion on defensibility and IP. Let’s open the door. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.5:45 - Where did Jackie grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?8:07 - Did Jackie ever think she would become a founder?10:11 - How was Jackie’s experience at Google?13:45 - What is the origin of Coalition Operators' mission of empowering women investors?17:47 - How did Jackie meet her cofounder?21:50 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Tribe AI?25:07 - How has the AI landscape been changing and what effect has that had on Tribe AI?27:59 - How are companies utilizing Tribe AI?29:16 - What was a moment in founding Tribe AI when things didn’t go as planned?34:17 - How do Tribe AI and its engineers think about IP and ownership?37:03 - What are some ideologies that Jackie has heard in regard to privacy in APIs?40:10 - How is Jackie thinking about the application layer?43:58 - Who is a woman who has had a profound impact on Jackie and her career?WX Productions

Join us in this episode as we sit down with Sampriti Bhattacharyya the CEO and Founder of Navier. Sampriti shares her incredible journey of founding Navier, and her passion for sustainable and efficient watercraft technology. Discover how Navier's hydrofoiling boats are revolutionizing the boating industry, with advanced technology that delivers unparalleled speed, efficiency, and comfort. In this episode, Sampriti talks to us about the challenges that she faced in bringing this innovative technology to market, especially as an Indian woman, how Navier is addressing key sustainability concerns in the marine transportation sector, as well what inspired her to start Navier in the first place. Whether you're a boating enthusiast or just curious about the future of sustainable marine transportation, this is an episode you won't want to miss!For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter!6:01 - Where did Sampriti grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:02 - Did Sampriti always think she would become a founder?7:53 - What drove Sampriti to move across the world for school?11:45 - What did Sampriti study while at school?13:08 - What inspired Sampriti to work on massive problems like nuclear energy?15:08 - What was the “aha moment” that led to Hydroswarm?16:49 - What caused Sampriti’s transition from Hyrdoswarm to Navier?18:20 - What is the mission and core product of Navier?21:18 - What are Sampriti’s thoughts on the Navier 30?24:53 - What was the Go-To-Market strategy for Navier and how has it changed over time?28:08 - Who was the first person to say yes to Navier?29:23 - What advice does Sampriti have for new and underrepresented founders?31:09 - When was a moment during the founding of Navier when things didn’t go as planned?33:41 - Did Navier develop their software in-house and how was AI thought about in the process?36:05 - Why is now such an important time to be looking at the geopolitics of the ocean?38:30 - What’s next for Navier?39:06 - What’s next for Sampriti?39:53 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Sampriti and her career?WX Productions

Welcome back to The Room Podcast! We start off season 8 by jumping straight into the modern era of audio and video editing with Cristóbal Valenzuela, the CEO and co-founder of Runway. Runway is “everything you need to make anything you want.”Runway makes the future of editing accessible to everyone by providing over 30 AI Tools to make your editing journey quicker and easier, from ideation all the way through post-production. Themes in this episode include blending art and business to disrupt an industry, the added pressures of starting a successful business as a first-generation immigrant, and the future of generative AI at the hands of large language models such as Runway’s GEN1 model.For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, Subscribe to our newsletter!6:06 - Where did Cris grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?7:49 - Did Cris always think he would become a founder?9:11 - What was Cris interested in building?12:53 - How did Cris meet his cofounders?15:20 - What was the “aha moment” that sparked the start of Runway?17:29 - What is the core product of Runway and how is it different than when Runway began?19:28 - How have early language models played a role in the Runway product suite?22:08 - How has the Go-To-Market strategy of Runway evolved over time?24:33 - At what point did Cris reach out to CBS and why?25:54 - What was a moment during the creation of Runway when things didn’t go as planned?29:49 - Who was the first person to say yes to Runway?32:10 - In regards to AI and machine learning, what is the difference between generative and discriminative?34:02 - What can users look forward to in “Gen-1” of Runway?38:00 - how does Cris see things evolving between cloud services and edge apps?39:45 - What advice would Cris give to investors looking in the AI space?41:37 - How does Runway empower creators of all shapes and sizes?44:23 - What advice does Cris have for new founders?45:39 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Cris and his career?WX Productions

In the season seven finale, we chat with Edith Harbaugh, CEO and Co-Founder of LaunchDarkly, the feature management platform which allows development teams to innovate faster by gradually releasing new software features to any segment of users on any platform. Edith speaks to the lessons she learned during her earlier career as a software engineer and product leader. She describes the key learnings she had in selling a product she ardently believed in to buyers who didn’t know yet why they needed her platform. Today, Edith has been named on the Forbes Cloud 100 list, Entrepreneur's 100 Women of influence list, and NASDAQ Female Leaders Council. Themes you expect in this week's episode include; the trade-offs to a development team of building vs buying, the need for feature management across startups and enterprises, and how trust drives your go-to-market strategy with early customers. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 6:04 - Where did Edith grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?7:19 - Did Edith always think she would become a founder?8:38 - What did Edith learn when she stayed at her first job through an acquisition?12:17 - What was the “aha” moment that encouraged Edith to launch LaunchDarkly?17:59 - How did engineering and product teams manage feature flags before LaunchDarkly? 19:34 - When did Edith know it was time to leave TripIt and focus entirely on LaunchDarkly?21:02 - How has the LaunchDarkly product evolved since its creation?23:03 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in LaunchDarkly?25:13 - What was a moment in Edith’s journey where things didn’t go as planned?29:26 - How did Edith earn the trust of the stakeholders she was selling to?31:25 - Did Edith have to rethink her go-to-market strategy once she realized the trust factor in selling a product like Launch Darkly?33:36 - What changed behind the scenes once LaunchDarkly hit its stride?37:22 - How has the competitive landscape evolved since LaunchDarkly’s origin?40:02 - How does Edith empower her team amidst periods of uncertainty?41:17 - How has Edith’s experience been on the NASDAQ Female Leaders Council? 43:24 - What's next for LaunchDarkly?44:24 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Edith’s life and career? WX Productions

Welcome back to another episode of The Room Podcast! We are so excited to share another inspiring conversation with the co-founder and CEO of Vise, Samir Vasavada. Vise is an AI powered asset manager that enables financial advisors to build, manage, and explain personalized portfolios for their clients. Vise is on a mission to create financial freedom for all with a platform that allows all investors, regardless of age, net worth, or geography, to access personalized, automated, and intelligent investments across all asset classes. Samir started vise with his cofounder Runik when they were just 16 years old. After giving advice to finance professionals through expert networks, Samir and Runik decided to bootstrap the company before raising 128M from funds like Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and Bling Capital. In this episode, we sit down with Samir and discuss topics such as advice for young or first-time founders, tips on fundraising & going-to-market, and the mission of Vise and future of tech-enabled investing. Let’s open the door. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:45 - Where did Samir grow up and how did that affect his view of the world? 5:27 - How old was Samir when he started founding?7:06 - How and why did Samir switch from making apps to consulting?9:47 - What encouraged Samir to found Vise 12:25 - When did Samir know it was time to fully commit to Vise?14:11 - What advice does Samir have for founders who are in the stage of turning their idea into an actual product?17:51 - What is the mission behind Vise?20:33 - Who is the team behind Vise?23:31 - How did Samir convince investors to get in early on Vise?26:49 - What advice does Samir have for businesses going through financial struggles?30:26 - What was the go-to-market strategy for Vise?32:39 - What roadblocks has Samir run into while growing Vise?34:33 - What does Samir think of UBS acquiring Wealthfront? 36:57 - How will the market of investing evolve as we head into a market downturn?39:43 - What is coming up for Samir, personally?30:39 - Who is a woman in Samir’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career? WX Productions

We are so happy to be joined by this week's guest, Sarah Flint. The Founder, CEO, and Designer of Sarah Flint, Inc. Sarah Flint proves that beauty doesn’t have to mean pain by creating comfortable and stylish luxury shoes for women who live any kind of lifestyle. When Sarah noticed a gap in the women’s shoe market, she began designing her own and she used her network to produce them at mass! She realized that it is time to consider the needs of the modern woman and she does this by creating luxury fashion designed by women on the go for women on the go. We chat with Sarah about her decision to go entirely online, to now opening up her own storefronts for the first time. In this episode, we discuss themes such as breaking into an industry with a non-traditional background, what it takes to disrupt the luxury brand market, and the future of retail 3.0. Let’s open the door. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:56 - Why did Sarah study fashion and what was her early career like?7:43 - What led Sarah to approach Italian factories to produce her products?8:56 - What type of person wears Sarah Flint shoes?10:04 - Did Sarah always want to become a founder?11:44 - What were the early stages of starting Sarah Flint, Inc. like?13:59 - What brought on the decision to take the store completely online?16:34 - How did Sarah make her decision on fundraising?18:09 - What is Sarah Flint’s favorite Sarah Flint shoe?18:54 - How has Sarah Flint, Inc. grown over the past few years?20:13 - How does Sarah feel about the future of e-commerce vs. storefronts in regard to luxury fashion?22:15 - What is Sarah’s strategy when picking locations to market in?23:12 - What does ‘E-Commerce 3’ look like?25:32 - Who was the first or most notable celebrity to wear Sarah Flint shoes?26:25 - What advice does Sarah have for designers hoping to break into retail?28:01 - What does it mean to be a ‘modern heritage brand?’30:08 - What is next for Sarah Flint, Inc?31:05 - What is next for Sarah?31:37 - Who is a woman in Sarah’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career? WX Productions

Joining us this week is Kashish Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Hightouch. Hightouch is a software for your data stack that syncs any data warehouse to the SaaS tools that your business runs on, making internal usage and sharing easier for everyone. Kashish talks to us about the current state of the modern data stack community and how the industry is constantly pushing forward. He describes how this plays into their sales tactic of “evangelizing” larger corporations by teaching them about “Reverse ETL” and how Hightouch works without pushing the sale. We cover themes such as starting a company with two of his good friends and the procedures they take when it comes to decision-making, the perfect modern data stack, and how to sell your business when the product is something that no one has heard of yet. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 6:00 - Where did Kashish grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?8:08 - Did Kashish always want to be a founder?9:27 - How did Kashish's education impact his professional goals?13:08 - What is the story behind Mama’s Cooking?15:01 - What was the “aha” moment that got Kashish thinking about Hightouch?18:10 - How do businesses take advantage of Hightouch?19:56 - How is Kashish's relationship with his partners, Tejas Manohar and Josh Curl?21:28 - How do Kashish's and his partners split up responsibilities and tasks?22:24 - How do Kashish and his partners handle things when there is a disagreement?25:03 - What part of the go-to-market is Hightouch going to continue investing in?27:58 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Hightouch? 29:51 - When is the right time for a company to embrace its data warehouse?32:29 - What is Kashish's stance on the semantic layer?34:38 - What are some tools in the modern data stack?35:39 - What tools does Kashish recommend for a company building their modern data stack?38:15 - What advice would Kashish give to an entrepreneur building in this space?40:44 - What’s next for Kashish and Hightouch?44:00 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Kashish and his career? WX Productions

We have another incredible episode in store with Cynthia Plotch and Jamie Norwood, the founders of Stix, the company transforming women's health experiences. Stix was founded to “create a convenient, discreet, and judgment-free way to get the products you need.” Cynthia and Jamie walk us through their negative personal experiences that drove them to create Stix. Plus, they share their ideas to evolve Stix past being just a DTC brand and becoming an entire community of women who can help each other with anything health related. Cynthia and Jamie also explain what led them to go down the VC route for funding this journey. Themes in this episode include knowing when is the right time to fully commit yourself to your passion project, today’s women’s health climate, and what's next in DTC. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:30 - What were the first few years of Jamie’s career like?5:17 - What brought Jamie to Hungry Harvest and broke her into the world of D2C?6:18 - How did Cynthia’s early career influence her decision to start Stix?9:35 - Did Cynthia and Jamie always plan on being founders?11:26 - When did Cynthia and Jamie know that they were ready to go full-time on Stix?16:41 - How would Cynthia and Jamie describe Stix?17:52 - What was the initial mission for Stix when Cynthia and Jamie founded it?19:29 - How has Stix been connecting to its community and helping solve their problems?23:30 - What prompted Cynthia and Jamie to raise VC funding?25:39 - What advice would Cynthia and Jamie give to founders thinking about starting in D2C?27:25 - What is the process like of getting an affordable product delivered discreetly to those who need it?29:32 - Why is it so crucial for Stix products to be delivered discreetly?33:16 - What does the future of D2C look like?35:27 - What does Amazon acquiring One Medical mean for the future of health care?37:54 - Who is a woman in Cynthia and Jamie’s lives that has had a profound impact on them and their careers? WX Productions

This week we chat with another phenomenal guest, William Santana Li, the founder and CEO of Knightscope. Knightscope is the developer and manufacturer of autonomous security robots. William explains how and why Knightscope was created and why he believes that the future of national security is autonomous. William details his professional experience in the auto and motor industry and how even that couldn’t prepare him for the unorthodox lifestyle of a founder. In today’s conversation with William, we chat about his unique founding story after being an entrepreneur and executive for 30 years. Plus, we dive into topics such as different ways to get funded, how robots are fighting crime in the U.S., and the future of robotics and technology in public safety. Let’s open the door. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.4:48 - Did William have an interest in the vehicle and motor space from a young age? 7:51 - How was William’s early experience as a founder starting Knightscope?9:45 - What did William learn during the fundraising process of Knightscope?17:04 - Why is William so passionate about preventing crime and protecting the safety of Americans?22:19 - How was the experience of starting from the ground and creating a legitimate robot?26:10 - How is William staying focused on the blend of hardware and software with Knightscope?28:19 - What advice does William have for a founder with a product that is starting locally but wants to go nationwide?30:27 - When building Knightscope, was there a time when things didn't go as planned? 32:58 - How does William think that robots will change public safety and security?36:55 - What does a Knightscope robot do to report crime and build safety?39:31 - Why is it that William is the only male on the board for Knightscope?45:57 - Who is a woman in William’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career? WX Productions

Season 7 continues with another incredible episode as we chat with Kelsey Mellard, co-founder and CEO of Sitka. Sitka is an online network of experts in medicine, technology, policy, and product with the goal of making access to specialists more available for all people. Kelsey talks to us about her initial career in healthcare, both public and private, and what that taught her before she began her journey of founding Sitka. Kelsey also details her experience of raising a baby and a company at the same time and how her investors felt when she broke the news. The themes of this episode include; problems in the healthcare system and how Sitka is making a difference, the complexities of being a new mom while founding a company, and lessons learned in developing a core product and go-to-market strategies. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 5:04 - How did beginning in the public sector help form Kelsey’s view of the world?6:35 - What has Kelsey learned about the complexities of the healthcare system?8:27 - How did Kelsey’s career drive her to start Sitka?11:00 - Did Kelsey ever think she was going to become a founder? 12:16 - What problem did Kesley identify that encouraged her to create Sitka?13:27 - What were some of the early days like in founding Sitka?15:00 - What product did Sitka take to market?16:42 - What lessons did Kelsey learn during the creation and evolution of Sitka’s core product?18:36 - What was Kelsey’s fundraising journey like?23:45 - What did Kelsey learn when developing her go-to-market strategy?27:24 - What does Kelsey think will become the status quo five years from today that perhaps right now maybe would sound very unlikely?30:47 - What did Kelsey’s investors say when she told them that she was having a baby while running the company?36:49 - What is something that Kelsey is excited about moving forward?38:10 - What should users and potential Sitka users be looking forward to?39:17 - Who is a woman in Kelsey’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career? WX Productions

Welcome back to The Room Podcast. We kick off Season 7 with Spencer Rascoff, co-founder and previous CEO of Zillow. Spencer walks us through how he and the team came up with the idea for Zillow and the unforgettable “Zestimate” feature. Prior to Zillow, Spencer had been the founder of Hotwire, which sold to Expedia for $685 million. Currently, Spencer is an active angel investor in more than 100 companies and is incubating several more through his startup studio and venture capital firm, 75 & Sunny. He serves as executive chair of dot.LA, a news site covering the Los Angeles tech scene and he is co-founder and board chair of Pacaso, the company pioneering a new way to own a second home. In our conversation today, we explore insights and themes such as the art of a killer feature, like the Zestimate, managing team morale and execution amidst a macroeconomic downturn, and why the future of real estate is fractional. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 5:05 - Where did Spencer grow up and how did that change his view of the world?6:33 - Did Spencer always want to be a founder?7:38 - What was the public opinion of the internet when Spencer was at Harvard? 11:23 - What did Spencer learn about being an entrepreneur from his experience at Harvard?13:23 - What was the aha moment that sparked the launch of Zillow?15:51 - How did Spencer and the team hone in on the specific product feature for Zillow?19:04 - Did Big Data play any role in the start of Zillow? What was the data stack at the time?21:15 - Who was the first external investor to say yes to investing in Zillow?21:53 - What is the best case board dynamic?26:04 - How did Spencer balance internal and external stakeholder management through his founding journey?29:52 - What advice would Spencer give to entrepreneurs navigating “the early stages of our recession?”31:49 - What is Spencer hoping to accomplish with Pacaso and “fractional ownership” of property?34:08 - What is the user journey of purchasing a Pacaso home? 35:09 - What is one sector that Spencer believes is undervalued at the moment?35:33 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Spencer and his career? WX Productions

In our final episode of season 6 of The Room Podcast, we close out with another incredible guest, Anvisha Pai, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Dover. Dover is a modernized recruiting platform that adapts to your business's needs to connect you with people that you would want to meet and that would want to meet you. In this episode, we and Anvisha discuss her journey as a multi-time founder growing up in Mumbai as the daughter of two doctors. Plus, Anvisha shares recruiting and hiring advice for start-ups and her thoughts on the future of work and hiring automation. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:40 - Where did Anvisha grow up and how did that shape her view of the world? 4:50 - Did Anvisha always think she was going to become a founder? 6:35 - How was Anvisha’s training as an engineer helpful from a product perspective?9:33 - How did Anvisha go from Product Manager at Dropbox to a multi-time founder?12:28 - What were Anvisha’s takeaways from her experience at the Y Combinator?14:23 - How does Dover automate the initial candidate sourcing? 18:19 - How was Dover's fundraising journey, how did that experience impact the team and what were some lessons learned along the way?22:05 - How has a content marketing approach contributed to the growth of the customer base for Dover?23:53 - How does Dover think about training data sets without creating a potential bias that can be embedded in the data?25:59 - What positive and negatives come from scaling up from a leadership perspective? 28:40 - What is Anvisha’s perspective on the future of recruiting, given the context of the last two years? 30:21 - What is Anvisha excited about in Dover's near future? 31:55 - What's next for Anvisha?32:55 - Who is a woman in Anvisha’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In this special episode of The Room Podcast, we get to listen LIVE as Madison interviews David Yuan, long-time investor and more recently, Founder and General Partner of Tidemark Capital. Tidemark is a venture capital firm built to serve category-leading technology companies as they succeed and scale. In this episode, Dave details how he went from investor to founder and is now a fund founder with Tidemark. Plus, we discuss focused investment themes, the people and processes needed to build a successful firm, and the future of fund transformation. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 9:42 - Live Interview Begins9:54 - Dave Introduction12:25 - How was Dave’s early journey as a founder?14:17 - How important is a founder's resume when selling themselves to investors?16:02 - How does Dave think about pitching investment theses to LPs?18:17 - When starting Tidemark, who did Dave go to for help?19:40 - What is one thing Dave wished he knew starting the 2021 year?23:04 - How does Dave think the LP market will change over the next 5 years?26:21 - Who is a woman in Dave’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions