Funds and Founders: Untold Journeys Behind Their Breakthroughs
Welcome to "Funds & Founders: Untold Journeys Behind Their Breakthroughs," where we dig deep into the stories of successful Austin founders. Instead of focusing on their successes though, we dive into their journeys, particularly the struggles and obstacles they had to overcome.
This weekly podcast is tailored for Austin founders navigating the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey and hosted by fellow Austinite Abhinav Sinha. Here’s what to expect by tuning into Funds & Founders:
🚀 Embark on a Journey to Success
Join Abhinav as he takes you behind the scenes, exploring the highs and lows of building a company. This isn't your typical success story – we dive into the failures, the struggles, and those pivotal breakthrough moments that define a founder's path.
🌟 Real Conversations, Real Insights
Abhinav's approach is refreshingly different. Rather than dwelling on success, he crafts casual conversations that unravel the untold stories. Identify the setbacks that helped them grow, the lessons learned from failures, and the breakthrough moments that fueled these founders.
🤔 Why Didn't They Quit? Learn and Apply.
At the heart of each episode, Abhinav delves into the 'why' behind the perseverance. Why didn't they throw in the towel during tough times? And, most importantly, how can you apply their insights to your own journey? Get ready to be inspired and equipped with practical takeaways for your entrepreneurial adventure.
🤝 Decoding Venture Capital
Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of Austin's venture capitalists? Abhinav sits down with local VCs to decode their criteria for investing in early-stage companies. Gain valuable insights into the world of venture capital, understand what investors look for, and appreciate the vital factor of founder-investor compatibility.
🎙️ Meet Your Host, Abhinav Sinha:
Abhinav's soft-spoken yet inquisitive style creates an intimate atmosphere, allowing guests to share their authentic stories. His genuine curiosity and insightful questions make each episode a captivating journey into the minds of Austin's most successful founders.
If you're a budding Austin entrepreneur seeking the inspiration and insight needed for building a successful company, "Funds & Founders" is your go-to podcast.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 60 minutes
- Episodes
- 62
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Humanity and AI, Embracing Serendipity, and the Art of Storytelling | Mark Fallows - E21
Mark Fallows is a seasoned advertising professional and founder of Fabrica Collective. He is also a creative collective based in New York, now operating from Austin. Mark shares his early career jour…
Building TeleSign, Registering a C Corp, Navigating Acquisitions, and Utilizing Cybersecurity | Stacy Stubblefield - E20
Stacey Stubblefield is a former entrepreneur in residence at Curious Minds Inc, who co-founded TeleSign, a company born out of the incubator. Stacey shares her unconventional journey from considering…
Reimagining Media Consumption, Podcasting and Advertising | Sky King - E19
Sky King shares his journey from being a digital marketing specialist to founding his own company, Modern Stoa. King discusses his early career, his experiences with companies like Onnit and Aubrey M…
Unshackled: An Immigrant’s Guide to Thriving in the US | Soundarya Balasubramani - E18
Soundarya Balasubramani, an NIT Trichy and Columbia graduate, writer, and founder of Unshackled.club, details her journey from India to the U.S. Her career shifts from Salesforce to entrepreneurship,…
Navigating a Venture Debt Approach as an Early Stage Founder | Chris De Ayala - E17
Chris De Ayala, a UT McComb School of Business graduate working in banking, specifically in venture debt at the Bank of California shares insights into the role of venture lending, emphasizing its va…
Is Your Product Solving the Right Problem? | Jake O’Shea - E16
Jake O'Shea, currently a Principal at Antler in Austin, delves into his rich background in the startup ecosystem. With experiences ranging from director roles at Capital Factory to mentoring at accel…
Product Leadership, Sales, & Pricing in B2b SaaS | Mike Ditson - E15
In episode 15, Mike Ditson joins us today to talk product management, sales, and innovation! Currently, Mike is the VP of Product Strategy at Envato Group and a lecturer in product management. He sha…
Navigating Acquisitions, Saying ‘I Don’t Know’, Embracing Randomness | Ken Platt - E14
Episode 14 features Ken Platt, an experienced entrepreneur and advisor with a rich history in operations, supply chain management, and startup leadership. Ken shares insights into his entrepreneurial…
What You Need to Get Right to Nurture a Successful Mentorship | Scott Finkelstein - E13
Scott, a seasoned C-level executive, draws from a diverse background in business leadership and organizational transformation. Originally aspiring to a career in finance, his trajectory shifted after…
Financial Modeling, Profitability & Raising Venture Capital for Startups | Lauren Pearl - E12
Lauren Pearl is a Fractional CFO/COO and Advisor who graduated from Boston University and NYU Stern where she did her MBA. She has a rich background in financial modeling and has a unique perspective…
Finding the Lessons in Messy Situations | Curtis Dean - E11
Curtis Dean is the founder and creative director for Strangers Only, a lifestyle clothing brand and is also a coach helping people maximize their potential and design the lives they want. He is a pos…
Trust is a Commodity, Hiring for Culture vs Skill Set, & Change Management | Steven Puri - E10
Steven Puri is a multipreneur who launched his career in the film industry and is also the founder of Sukha Company, previously known as Centred. He started Centropolis Effects. a CGI company then e…
Establishing a CPG Athleisure Brand, Calculated Risks, and Aligning with a Co-Founder | Daniella Rosa - E9
Daniella Rosa is the founder of Aiea Golf, an athleisure lifestyle brand for women golfers. She also was the owner and designer of cutclothing.com. Daniella has held various marketing roles in her ca…
Tony Robbin’s Peak Performance Strategist on Overcoming the Top 3 Fears in Sales | Brian Mayoral - E8
Brian Mayoral has been the number one peak performance strategist for Tony Robbins for over six years and is currently the CIO and founder of his agency called Sellup. As an avid sales manager and le…
Immigrating to the States, Building Community, & Establishing Brand Value | Lekan Olude - E7
Lekan Olude is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur best known for co-founding Jobberman, West Africa's leading job search engine. In 2021, he founded Motherboard, a comprehensive employee benefits …
What Founders Underestimate About Building a Startup | Saleem Ahmad - E6
In this episode, serial entrepreneur, investor and founding partner of Anti-VC, Saleem Ahmed, joins us in an engaging discussion about his transition from an unfulfilling career in engineering to fou…
Market Validation, Sales & Co-Founding Job Machine | Brandon Tigges - E5
In this episode, Brandon Tigges, the CEO of Job Machine, shares his journey as an entrepreneur, and the valuable lessons that have shaped his career in sales and marketing. He portrays the picture of…
Building Intuitive Problem-Solving SaaS Products | Bret Siers - E4
In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Training Layers, Bret Sears. He shares his entrepreneurial journey, from running a financial services company to building TrainingLayers, a ground-bre…
Austin’s Startup Ecosystem, Building a Personal Brand, Finding Mentors & Venture Capital | Marc Nathan - E3
Marc Nathan is the Vice President of Client Strategy at Egan Nelson LLP, specializing in Emerging Technology and Venture Capital. With a robust background in the Texas Technology and Consumer Package…
Scaling to A Million Users: Jobberman Job Board Giant | Lekan Olude - E2
Lekan Olude is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Jobberman, West Africa's leading job search engine. Born and raised in Ogun State, he pursued his education at Oba…