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In this weekly series, fellow startup founders Immad Akhund (Mercury) and Rajat Suri (Presto, Lima, and Lyft) explore current events in the world of tech, startup, and policy, offering insights from their distinguished careers and an array of expert guests. YouTube: youtube.com/@FoundersInArms Substack: foundersinarms.substack.com Instagram: instagram.com/foundersinarms TikTok: tiktok.com/@founder... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes103Founded3 years ago
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Artwork for Founders in Arms

Latest Episodes

In this candid one-on-one episode, Immad and Raj catch up on what's actually happening in tech right now — the AI narratives shifting under everyone's feet, which companies they'd bet on, and how they're thinking about building teams in an AI-native ... more

YouTube

George Kailas is the CEO of Prospero AI, a platform helping retail investors make smarter decisions using simplified market signals and data-driven insights.

In this episode, George joins Immad and Raj to break down one of the biggest debates in inv... more

YouTube

Andy Chen is the co-founder of Outcast Ventures, an early-stage fund focused on rethinking how founding teams come together. Prior to Outcast, he worked across recruiting and venture capital, including roles at Riviera Partners, Kleiner Perkins, and ... more

YouTube

David Rusenko is the founder and CEO of Leap Forward Ventures, a pre-seed and seed climate tech fund investing in energy, deep tech, and the reinvention of industrial processes. Before that, he spent 14 years as co-founder and CEO of Weebly, growing ... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Ryan Gariépy
Former CTO and co-founder of Clearpath Robotics and Otto Motors; VP of Robotics at Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation (VP of Robotics); former Clearpath/ Otto Motors
Episode: The State of Robotics in 2026: Ryan Gariépy on Hype, Reality, and Long-Term Thinking
Marco Zapacosta
Founder and CEO of Thumbtack
Episode: Thumbtack’s Marco Zappacosta on AI, Trust, and the Future of Marketplaces
Vishwas Prabhakara
Founder of Honey Homes
Honey Homes
Episode: Building a Services Business in a Tech World with Honey Homes' Vishwas Prabhakara
Max Mullen
Co-founder of Instacart and active investor
Instacart
Episode: Instacart's Max Mullen on Building Instacart and the Future of AI: First Live Founders in Arms
Mehul Nariyawala
Co-founder and president of Matic Robotics
Matic Robotics
Episode: How Matic Built an Intelligent Home Robot (While Others Failed) With Mehul Nariyawala
Jack Zhang
Founder and CEO of Airwallex
Airwallex
Episode: Building a Global Payments Platform with Airwallex's Jack Zhang
Ryan Gariepy
Co-founder of Clearpath Robotics and Vice President of Robotics at Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation
Episode: The State of Robotics in 2026: Ryan Gariepy on Hype, Reality, and Long-Term Thinking
Emmett Shear
Founder and CEO of Softmax, formerly co-founder and CEO of Twitch
Softmax
Episode: AGI, Alignment, and the Future of AI Power With Emmett Shear
Noah Glass
Founder and CEO of Olo
Olo
Episode: Embrace the Suck: How Olo Survived 10 Years to Product-Market Fit With Noah Glass

Hosts

Imad Akhund
Co-founder and CEO of Mercury; multiple appearances as a central host.
Rajat Suri
Co-founder of Lima and Tribe; former Lyft executive and serial founder, frequently co-hosting.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 30 ratings
  • Real Founder Stories & Advice

    Really enjoy the real founder stories and practical advice. Especially enjoyed the recent one with Joris Poort from Rescale!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    .-:-:-.
    United States8 months ago
  • Unique and amazing

    This podcast is incredible. Getting insights from founders like Raj and Immad is so valuable. They both have unique perspectives: Raj knows consumers (Lyft), hardware (Presto), community/messaging (Tribe), immigration (Lima); and Immad knows banking/b2b/PLG (Mercury), angel investing (prolific angel investor), and even space (sci-fi nerd). They also push back on each others perspectives constantly in a great way. I look forward to Fridays because of this podcast, these guys are great!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wolf of Ball Street
    United States10 months ago
  • Best podcast about founders and startups

    Really enjoy listening to this one - tonnes of valuable insights and great stories from several experienced entrepreneurs

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Everand88
    United Statesa year ago
  • A Disappointing Echo Chamber for the Overhyped Elite

    Founders in Arms bills itself as a tech-savvy deep dive into startups and policy, but what it delivers is a self-congratulatory slog through recycled Silicon Valley talking points. Hosts Immad Akhund and Rajat Suri, despite their pedigrees, seem more interested in reinforcing their own status than providing real insight. The discussions rarely rise above surface-level commentary, often devolving into vague anecdotes that serve little purpose beyond name-dropping.

    Worse, the show lacks structure... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    RedRedRaleigh
    United Statesa year ago
  • Founders like me, but further along

    This show is like being coached by a massively more successful colleague. It’s super deep and super conversational and delivered by gents who have seen it all scaling and come out on the other side. I wish I had found this show a long time ago.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Suebeaux
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are consistently experienced founders or operators offering practical lessons.
Hosts bring sharp, actionable founder-level insights and engaging back-and-forth debate.
The show combines technical depth with candid storytelling, though some listeners feel episodes can skew promotional when guests overlap with sponsors.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The State of Robotics in 2026: Ryan Gariépy on Hype, Reality, and Long-Term Thinking
Q: What three areas would you invest in today in robotics as an investor?
Invest in areas with clear engineering risk but practical go-to-market execution, ensure the team has real domain experience, and target deployments where the design domain fits the customer needs (construction, airports, farms, etc.), while avoiding overreliance on a single, unproven business model.
The State of Robotics in 2026: Ryan Gariépy on Hype, Reality, and Long-Term Thinking
Q: Do you think humanoid robots will become mainstream anytime soon?
Humanoids have immense research value and potential in industry, but current cost structures, programming complexity, and real-world utility mean widespread adoption is likely still years away; other robotic forms may deliver more immediate, scalable impact.
The State of Robotics in 2026: Ryan Gariépy on Hype, Reality, and Long-Term Thinking
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing robotics startups today?
The biggest challenges are aligning engineering risk with a viable go-to-market and a capable team that truly understands the end problem, rather than chasing hype ideas; hardware remains hard, manufacturing scale matters, and practical deployments in industry require a disciplined product and sales approach.
How AI Agents Will Reshape the Web with Parag Agrawal
Q: Can you give us an example of someone using Parallel?
Coding agents using Parallel's APIs to access the web for information like documentation or competitive analysis.
Building a Services Business in a Tech World with Honey Homes' Vishwas Prabhakara
Q: What challenges do you face as a startup?
The biggest challenge is gaining visibility and understanding from the broader market while pushing towards a large vision.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Founders in Arms

What is Founders in Arms about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Founders in Arms tends to feature high-level conversations with experienced startup founders and tech executives who discuss real-world product development, growth, and the policy environment around technology. Episodes frequently center on hands-on experiences scaling hardware and software businesses, the realities of funding and go-to-market strategies, and how AI, marketplaces, and automation reshape industries. A notable pattern is the duo's willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, push back on hype, and bring guests who combine technical depth with practical entrepreneurship. The show often includes candid anecdotes, lessons from building category-defining companies, and forward-looking takes on emerging tech trends, making it val... more

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How many episodes of Founders in Arms are there?

Founders in Arms launched 3 years ago and published 103 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Founders in Arms?

Recent guests on Founders in Arms include:

1. Ryan Gariépy
2. Marco Zapacosta
3. Vishwas Prabhakara
4. Max Mullen
5. Mehul Nariyawala
6. Jack Zhang
7. Ryan Gariepy
8. Emmett Shear

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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