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Artwork for The Founder Initiative

The Founder Initiative

Adam ODonnell
Product-Market Fit
Venture Capital
Y Combinator
Fawn
Silicon Valley
Fundraising
Cofactory
Advertising Technology
Children
Funding Framework
Lucidlink
Neubird
Rinse
Ai-Powered Billing and Revenue Automation
500 Global
Investing
Feather Robotics
Covid-19
Data Science
Artificial Intelligence

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes196Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
InvestingBusinessTechnology

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Artwork for The Founder Initiative

Latest Episodes

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Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focu... more

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focu... more

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focu... more

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Recent Guests

Oliver Keh
Founder of Gleam and Y Combinator participant
Gleam
Episode: (YC S23) Gleam Founder, Oliver Keh: Investigative Journalist Approach To PMF
Arvind Parthasarathi
Founder of Cygnvs and experienced entrepreneur
Cygnvs
Episode: a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC
Sandra Bustos
Founder of Meshly with over 10 years of experience as a GTM operator
Meshly
Episode: [Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch
Mercedes Bent
Former partner at Lightspeed Ventures, has extensive experience in consumer startups and venture capital
Lightspeed Ventures
Episode: [Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch
Ben Kim
Founder of Nitrode, an AI game development engine.
Nitrode
Episode: (YC W25) How To Nail Your YC (or any VC) Interview; Nitrode's Founder, Ben Kim
Jesse Zhang
Co-founder and CEO of Decagon, a company building AI customer service agents
Decagon
Episode: a16z Invested; $231M Raised Sub 2-years; Decagon's Founder, Jesse Zhang & Amex Ventures's Managing Director, Kevin Weber; Building & Funding Unicorns
Kevin Weber
Managing director of Amex Ventures, focused on early stage investments in enterprise software
Amex Ventures
Episode: a16z Invested; $231M Raised Sub 2-years; Decagon's Founder, Jesse Zhang & Amex Ventures's Managing Director, Kevin Weber; Building & Funding Unicorns
Steven Wang
Co-Founder of Dubb and former Harvard student.
Dubb
Episode: Harvard Dropout Builds Fastest Fintech App To Hit 1M Downloads, Raises $47M; Steven Wang, Co-Founder of dub
Sarthak Goel
Founder of Invoid, an Indian startup in the KYC automation industry
Invoid
Episode: (YC W21) Indian Startup Denied 3x by YC, Accepted 4th; Sarthak Goel, Founder of Invoid

Host

Adam O'Donnell
Host of The Founder Initiative

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 30 ratings
  • Full of of golden nuggets!!

    Fantastic podcast for anyone raising! So many great insights in all the episodes. Highly recommended

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ibrotzky
    Canada3 years ago
  • A must for first-time founders

    Extracting the most valuable advice from VCs and tech executives has helped shape my decision-making and saved me time as a first-time founder.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    c_huie
    United States5 years ago
  • Great content at a perfect length

    Just started listening to Adam’s podcast recently and can’t stop listening. He interviews a plethora of successful people, each with their own unique background, at a length that allows me to listen to a few or just one when I’m on the go. Looking forward to more!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jgrumby
    United States5 years ago
  • Adam is one of a kind

    Been listening to Adan’s work for about two years now and love it. He’s got a to the point approach that works so well to give you the top info in bite sized chunks. I’m a big fan

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JsosoSoto
    United States5 years ago
  • Tactical insights & top guests

    Adam does a great job of finding top VCs and CEOs that have been there before. I like how each episode is under 15-minutes and about one unconventional tactic or trend. Great stuff.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ikshit Pant
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Reviewers commend the quality of guests and their expert advice.
Listeners appreciate the concise format that delivers actionable insights rapidly.
Many consider the insights shared as invaluable for navigating fundraising and startup challenges.
Feedback highlights the podcast's appeal for busy entrepreneurs in need of quick information.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

(Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup
Q: What is the biggest quality that you find in a founder besides just their access to that network that you want?
I look for coachability, grit, smarts, and empathy, with coachability being the most crucial for our Venture Studio model.
(Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup
Q: What do you think it means for venture capital in the next 10 years?
The incredible amount of training data going into LLMs levels the playing field, making information access more equal between founders and investors.
(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF
Q: What was the process of like asking for money actually like?
You just literally ask, 'Will you buy it?' and gauge their response. People often have polite refusals, but if they express interest, it signals potential future sales.
(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF
Q: What would you say is the biggest insight you had that led to the shift to hit product market fit?
Product-market fit is not binary; it is a fuzzy concept that evolves as your understanding of the product and customer needs develop.
(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF
Q: What was the biggest insight that you had from the time that you had the idea for Cotera to the first dollar, how would you summarize that?
You 100% have to focus on that and a lot of startup founders come from technical backgrounds, which is important, but it's also very easy to build something that no one cares about. You need to have awkward conversations with potential customers to find out what works.

Audience Metrics

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Founder Initiative

What is The Founder Initiative about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Focused on empowering founders, the episodes feature conversations with successful entrepreneurs and investors who share valuable insights on achieving product-market fit (PMF) and raising funds in the competitive startup landscape. The discussions often highlight not just the challenges of starting a venture but also unconventional strategies and experiences that shape the journey of building a startup. Notably, the episodes are concise, often under 15 minutes, delivering actionable advice in a digestible format, catering especially to busy entrepreneurs looking for quick yet impactful insights.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Founder Initiative?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Founder Initiative:

1. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
2. Prof G Markets

How many episodes of The Founder Initiative are there?

The Founder Initiative launched 5 years ago and published 196 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 The Founder Initiative?

Recent guests on The Founder Initiative include:

1. Oliver Keh
2. Arvind Parthasarathi
3. Sandra Bustos
4. Mercedes Bent
5. Ben Kim
6. Jesse Zhang
7. Kevin Weber
8. Steven Wang

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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