Build Mode

Finding order in chaotic datasets is key for companies to be able to implement AI solutions that actually work. This week’s guest is Prukalpa Sanka, the co-CEO and co-founder of Atlan, a platform designed to help data teams build trust, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively. Atlan emerged from the challenges of managing complex data projects and is now empowering organizations to scale their data operations while maintaining transparency and trust. In this episode they discuss how Atlan has maintained a fun company culture despite the stress and how her and her co-founder have maintained a great working relationship for the past 12 years. 00:00 - Introduction 02:31 - Founding story and early challenges 06:19 - Overcoming high-stakes data issues 08:45 - The evolution of data and AI 13:31 - Building a product to solve key problems 16:13 - Adapting to technological change 19:21 - The growing role of AI in business 21:05 - Preparing data for AI integration 24:27 - Addressing bias and ethics in AI 26:52 - Fundraising and fun marketing 31:34 - Maintaining a strong co-founder relationship 33:47 - Final thoughts and reflections Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Research is completely lacking when it comes to information about women’s hormonal health. Today’s guest is working to compile data and help women find the care they need. This week on Found, we’re talking to Sylvia Kang, the CEO and co-founder of Mira, a women’s health company that is providing home hormonal testing. They discuss the challenges on fundraising for women’s health startups, the importance of research to drive change and access in healthcare, and how Mira forged a new path by becoming FDA approved. 00:00 - Introduction and Overview of Women’s Hormonal Health01:45 - The Lack of Hormonal Health Data and Fertility Challenges05:11 - The Inspiration Behind Starting Mira07:30 - Early Feedback from Doctors and Investors10:58 - The Evolution of the Women’s Health Market13:25 - Overcoming the Lack of Scientific Research and Data Collection16:51 - Impact of COVID-19 on Mira’s Growth18:42 - Mira as a Cost-Effective Solution to Fertility Issues21:29 - Mira’s Expansion Beyond Fertility and into IVF25:02 - Utilizing AI to Personalize Hormonal Health Tracking28:35 - Sylvia’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship32:15 - Building a Female-Driven Company Culture at Mira34:49 - The Future of Women’s Health and Expanding Mira’s Impact Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Microplastics are everywhere: In our water, cleaning supplies, and in so many of our everyday household essentials. This week’s guest, Sarah Paiji Yoo, started Blueland to help us cut out microplastics and reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use, once and for all. Blueland creates eco-friendly and plastic free cleaning supplies. This week, Dom is joined by Tim De Chant to talk with Sarah about all the challenges of developing sustainable and safe cleaning supplies from formulation to creating a retail strategy and the role of corporate advocacy in driving environmental change. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

It’s not every week that Becca and Dom get to talk to a founder who has been building companies for the past 22 years. This week on Found, we’re joined by Eric Ly, co-founder of LinkedIn and the current co-founder and CEO of KarmaCheck startup that is making the background check process quicker and more transparent. Ly discusses his vision for streamlining background checks, the challenges of building multiple companies, and how his entrepreneurial mindset has evolved since the early days of the internet. You’ll learn about the future of online trust and the potential impact of blockchain technology on identity verification. 00:00 - Introduction and Two Truths and a Lie 02:00 - Introducing Karma Check: Background Checks Reimagined 05:00 - The Evolution of Background Checks 08:00 - Automating and Streamlining the Process 12:00 - Demand for Faster Background Checks in the Job Market 15:00 - Eric Ly's Entrepreneurial Journey 18:00 - The Changing Landscape of Venture Capital 21:00 - Leadership Evolution and Building Company Culture 23:00 - Entrepreneurial Mishaps and Lessons Learned 27:00 - Growing Up in Silicon Valley 29:00 - Navigating Market Cycles and Hype 31:00 - Future Possibilities: Blockchain and Digital Identity 33:00 - Conclusion and Wrap-up Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

In this episode of Found, Becca and Dom sit down with Gavin Uberti, co-founder and CEO of Etched, an AI chip startup focusing on developing specialized chips. Gavin shares the bold bet his startup is making on transformer models for AI chips, aiming to take on industry giant Nvidia. They discuss how Etched is developing specialized chips that they claim will be an order of magnitude faster than competitors, and Uberti shares his insights on the future of AI hardware as models continue to rapidly scale up in size and capability. [00:00] Introduction to Etched and AI chips [03:46] The bet on transformer models [05:08] Competition with Nvidia 07:45] Environmental impact of chip manufacturing [10:13] Etched's chip development progress [12:35] Customer demand and strategic investors [14:06] Fundraising journey [15:23] Dropping out of Harvard [21:25] Building the company and hiring [24:01] Leadership philosophy [31:05] Future outlook for Etched and AI [32:31] Wrap-up and reveal of the "two truths and a lie" Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

HR software is big, big business. And no one understands that better than this week’s guest, Parker Conrad the CEO and co-founder of Rippling, a global HR company that offers global payroll, onboarding, time tracking, benefits management and more. In this episode he talks about what goes into building a leading HR tech company—from what it’s like building out features companies love, to dealing with fierce competition in this ever growing landscape. Conrad also gets into the power imbalance that can arise between VCs and founders and the drama at his previous company that inspired him to build Rippling. (0:00) Introduction (2:48) Parker’s previous startups (6:09) Leaving Zenefits and starting Rippling (9:08) Horizontal integration in HR software (11:57) AI skepticism for software (20:58) Managing the competition (26:34) Growth marketing strategy (29:36) What a founder should focus on (35:02) VC-founder power imbalance (40:23) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

There is a whole marketplace for used tech, it isn’t just a good deal for the customer, but it also helps curb waste that can lead to soil contamination, non-pot able water, and dangerous living conditions. On this week’s episode of Found, we’re talking to Thibaud Hug de Larauze from BackMarket, a global marketplace for refurbished devices. In this conversation they cover: How BackMarket has such a successful fundraise. Building customer trust as a refurbished marketplace The environmental impact of recycling electronics The Right to Repair and what will happen when everyone can fix their own phone if they choose. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Despite the fact that water covers 71% of the Earth, there is still so much we don’t know about the ocean floor and today’s founder is looking to change that. Joe Wolfel is the co-founder and CEO of Terradepth, the company that is working towards increasing ocean knowledge through autonomous, high resolution, scalable data collection in the deep ocean. On this week’s episode of Found, Becca is joined by guest co-host, Tim De Chant to discuss why mapping geological features at the bottom of the ocean isn’t just something worth doing for curiosity’s sake, it’s important to a variety of players from companies looking to install offshore wind farms to the Navy. They also get into who is buying this kind of data, how Wolfel’s experience as a Navy Seal prepared him for entrepreneurship, and the trend of deeptech founders needing to find revenue streams early on as they’re developing their technology. (0:00) Introduction (2:07) Robotics role in mapping the ocean (8:49) Scaling maritime data collection (15:47) Fundraising challenges for hardware companies (21:57) Transitioning from Navy to entrepreneurship (24:13) Data-driven decision making (29:43) Finding the right customer base (35:14) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

The higher education system isn’t working. Students pay way too much, professors don’t get paid enough, and many community college students that aspire to go on to get a Bachelor's degree aren't able to. But one startup thinks they have the solution. Today Becca is talking with Tade Oyerinde, the CEO and founder of Campus, a fully accredited online community college. They discuss how Tade found a school that was willing to come on board and align with his mission, the challenges of getting investors on board, and what he thinks it will take to make the higher education system more equitable. (0:00) Introduction (2:15) The current issues facing community colleges (8:28) Serving both Students and professors with Campus (11:17) Developing the curriculum (16:06) Finding VC partners (19:09) Why Tade is drawn to High Education (24:48) What inspired Tade Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

What is the right way to regulate AI? There appears to be as many different answers to that as there are regulators. In this week's episode of Found, we're bringing you a live interview from TechCrunch's recent Strictly VC event. Becca Szkutak talked with Helen Toner, the director of strategy and foundational research grants from the Center of Security and Emerging Technology and a former board member of OpenAI. Although she's not a founder herself, this conversation centers around topics crucial to every founder building today as AI continues to impact nearly every industry. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Today on Found, we’re talking to David Rogier, the CEO and founder of Masterclass, a streaming platform where you can learn from the world’s experts on a variety of topics, from baking to screen writing to developing empathy. Before David launched MasterClass, he worked as a VC. Through his connections there received a $500,000 seed round before he even had an idea for a company. That was nearly a decade ago, and today Dom, Becca and David talk about how he’s built the company since.They also talked about: How MasterClass was able to land its notable names from the beginning How the company has scaled after a disappointing launch How MasterClass has adapted to its users needs during the pandemic and beyond Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

It probably doesn’t come as too big of a surprise that cowboy boots aren’t typically sold online. So where is the modern cowboy supposed to shop? This week we’re talking to a founder who carved out a DTC market for western wear. Paul Hedrick, the founder of Tecovas, joins Dom and Becca to discuss the marketing strategy they came up with to change the perception of shopping for cowboy boots online and how the company has expanded to brick and mortar stores. In this conversation they cover: How social media played a big role in the early days of tecovas The challenges of modernizing such an old-school industry Fundraising when DTC was almost a dirty word. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week on Found, we have an interview from TechCrunch's Strictly VC event in DC. Becca sat down with Steve Case, the founder of AOL to discuss policy, innovation, and AI. Case, now the founder of Revolution Ventures, told the live audience that open access not only helped his company back in the 90s but is also why the internet was able to progress in the way that it did. Regulators should aim for the same goal with AI policy despite the potential risks. He argues that opening up access to horizontal AI players like OpenAI and Google would also help expand AI away from being concentrated on the coasts. (0:00) Introduction (1:29) AI regulation compared to the internet’s early days (6:20) Supporting AI startups outside the traditional hugs (11:49) AI Policy and the innovation economy (16:40) Entrepreneurship and job creation in the US Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Many pots and pans on the market are coated in teflon, a poisonous chemical that can be harmful when it gets too hot. Luckily, there is an answer on the market — Caraway, a home goods brand that touts itself as being non-toxic but still high quality. Jordan Nathan founded the company after his own experience with Teflon poisoning that left him searching for a better — and healthier option. On this week’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Nathan to discuss how he built a brand around aesthetically pleasing non-toxic home goods as we continue to dive into DTC companies. In this conversation they discussed: Why being the last brand to fundraise can be a benefit to the company Sticking to the plan to bring Caraway to retail The product launch failure that almost killed the company before it started (0:00) Introduction (3:36) Creating non-toxic cookware (7:31) Launching the brand (13:05) Caraway Brand Strategy (16:44) Expanding to new categories (20:49) Influencer marketing (25:25) Product launch failures (29:20) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

There is estimated to be 40 million acres of lawn or turf grass in the U.S., making the grass in people's backyards one of the largest crops in the U.S. and yet lawn care products are full of harmful chemicals. So Coulter Lewis decided to start a sustainable lawn care company that will help people learn how to care for their grass in a way that’s good for the planet. Sunday is a DTC that allows consumers to sign up and send in a sample of the dirt from their lawn that is used to pick out what products someone needs and tell them how much and when they need them. In this conversation they cover: How Coulters previous experience starting Quinn Snacks with his wife informed how he leads at Sunday The challenges and perks of building with family members Evolving the products from bespoke DTC offerings to general consumer in-store goods (0:00) Introduction (4:28) Creating personalize law care plans (9:34) Launching DTC in this climate (14:55) Expanding into new categories (20:50) using data to improve products (23:13) Building businesses with family (28:06) Building the right team (31:27) Regulation and expansion (36:15) Host conversation Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

When someone starts two incredibly successful enterprise companies, they must really understand the issues enterprises face and how to solve them. This week on Found, Becca and Dom talk with Arvind Jain, the CEO and co-founder of Glean, an AI-powered work assistant that connects and understands enterprise knowledge. The idea for Glean was born out of Jain’s experience at his previous startup Rubrik.In this conversation they cover: How Jain knew it was time to start a new company and why it didn’t make sense to build Glean inside of Rubrik The importance of building a self-sufficient leadership team and the downside of micromanaging Why cybersecurity is top of mind when working with enterprise data at an AI company Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Food is medicine. This week’s guest on Found is Ashely Tyrner, the CEO and founder of FarmboxRx which helps their customers manage their chronic diseases through bespoke grocery boxes In this episode, Becca, Dom, and Ashley get into the logistics of delivering fresh produce to their member and how they have become profitable while accepting SNAP/EBT and partnering with health plans. In this conversation they cover: How Ashley’s experience living in a food desert inspired this company The struggle to fundraise despite growing and increasing revenue How the company is using behavioral science to help their members take actions that will improve their health. (0:00) Introduction (2:12) Food as medicine (7:07) Grocery logistics with fresh produce (9:27) Working with health plans (15:13) Bootstrapping a capital-heavy business (20:48) Distribution and logistics (22:48) Ashley’s leadership style (28:15) COvid’s impact on online grocery (31:49) Fundraising challenges (35:48) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week we're bringing you a conversation from our friends over at Equity. Alex Wilhelm caught up with EarlyDay’s two former CEOs, Emma Harris and Melissa Tran, and their new boss, Chris Bennett at Wonderschool, to chat through the deal, what’s ahead for their sector, and more. Wonderschool is a startup that works with individuals and local governments to spin up more childcare businesses by providing software and other support and they have acquired EarlyDay. EarlyDay, another venture-backed startup, operates a early childhood educator marketplace. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Clinical trials are ongoing for the first long-lasting, reversible male birth control which is the first innovation in male birth control since the vasectomy hit the scene in 1897. This week’s Found guest is Kevin Eisenfrats, the co-founder and CEO of Contraline, a biotech company developing innovative methods to use hydrogel as a contraceptive. Contraline’s first product, ADAM, is what some are calling the first male IUD. The company will begin clinical trials in the U.S. very soon. In this conversation they cover: The process of fundraising when you’re creating a completely new category Why the overturning of Roe V. Wade has led to increased interest in ADAM by men in the US The future of Contraline and other innovations that use hydrogels (0:00) Introduction (2:26) The challenges to male birth control (6:53) Why hydrogel works (9:35) Developing ADAM (15:08) Cultural reaction to ADAM (20:18) Entrepreneurship in medicine (22:39) FDA approval process (28:09) What’s next for Contraline (34:23) Host conversation Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Most OBGYNs are not specifically trained in menopause, which means that women are left to suffer through their symptoms on their own. This week’s guest on Found is looking to change that. Joanna Strober is the CEO and founder of Midi, a virtual healthcare platform built specifically for women in midlife staffed with healthcare providers specifically trained to care for people going through perimenopause and menopause. In this conversation they cover: Why there is such a wide gap in care for women’s health and the negligent studies that are partly to blame Working with employers and insurance companies to make sure that their services are covered under insurance How the Midi team has raised $100 million despite many investors not understanding the potential market for care for women in midlife (0:00) Introduction (1:27) Midi and Joanna’s background (4:38) The care gap (7:12) Building out research-based care protocols (10:00) Demand for menopause care (13:28) Joanna’s previous founder experience (17:04) Learnings from starting in VC (19:33) Building out the Midi team (22:56) Working with employers and insurance companies (24:50) Launching in 50 states (28:59) Fundraising experience Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Most skyscrapers have sky-high carbon footprints due mostly to inefficient methods of heating and cooling. Today’s guest, Joselyn Lai is the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Energy, a company that works with buildings to install geothermal systems. They have developed a system to drill the exact amount of boreholes at the precise depth needed to create the most efficient system per building. Today Dom is joined by a special guest host, TechCrunch Climate reporter Tim De Chant. In this conversation they cover: How the company has built up a customer base of urban builders Why it's easy to fundraise when the technology has been proven to be so effective Creating clean energy jobs for people who work in oil and gas (0:00) Introduction (1:51) Starting Bedrock Energy (3:59) Closed loop vs open loop systems (8:16) Building a customer base (12:50) Working with and around utility companies (17:08) Clean jobs for oil and gas workers (21:24) Decarbonizing the built environment (26:30) Fundraising (34:58) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

In order to get drivers to convert from gas-powered cars to electric, there needs to be reliable charging infrastructure. Today on Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Louis Tremblay, the CEO and founder of FLO, a company that manufactures electric vehicle charging stations and has been creating charging infrastructure in the US and Canada for the last 15 years. Tremblay also talked about how he intentionally built this company to be a rewarding and fun place to work and what advice he has for new founders trying to do the same. In this conversation they cover: The components that go into creating superchargers for public use and why these isn’t just one kind of EV plug The process of working with cities to design charging stations that reflect the character of the city The importance of developing the hardware alongside the software to create the best customer experience possible Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

If you’re not in construction or in the middle of a renovation, you might not think much about wood waste but in 2018 alone landfills in the US received 12.2 million tons of wood. Most of this is useful material that could be reused, but the lack of infrastructure means the wasted wood can't always reach the developers, woodworkers, and creators who need it. This week on Found, we're talking to a founder who has a SaaS solution for this broken supply chain. Ben Christensen is the founder and CEO of Cambium, a company that is reimagining the wood supply chain and reallocating previously wasted wood to be used in new building projects. In this conversation they cover: Learning to navigate the logistics of sourcing, selling, and shipping wood to customers Building a team culture based on the individual and avoiding a one size fits all approach Onboarding customers who may be adverse to technological solutions How AI can help create a more efficient lumber supply chain (0:00) Introduction (1:42) What Cambium is all about (5:01) Climate change and wood recycling (11:36) Developing the software (15:54) Sourcing sustainable wood (18:41) Going from grad school to founder (20:01) Fundraising journey (23:59) AI and supply chains (25:49) Building the team (30:15) Learning from logistics mistakes (32:30) Staying grounded while building climate solutions (36:40) Host conversation Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Between the rising cost of groceries and the all too common food desert, access to healthy and affordable food in America is getting harder to find. Today’s guest, Nick Green is the co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, a membership-based online grocery store that focuses on natural and organic food and household products. Thrive Market isn’t just focused on offering healthy options, they want to ensure everyone has access to them so they’ve become the first online grocer to accept SNAP and EBT benefits. In this episode, Green discusses how it’s possible to build a business that is a shareholder-driven business and a business that cares about the stakeholders. They also talked about: The logistics of running a grocery company sustainably from the beginning Their unusual path to funding How they organized the leadership team with four co-founders Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Every wildfire season seems to be getting more intense than the last but today’s guest is here to tell us that wildfires actually have a good side. Today on Found, we’re joined by Allison Wolff, the co-founder and CEO of Vibrant Planet, a cloud-based planning and monitoring tool for adaptive land management. Wolff discusses why the wildfires we’re seeing today are hotter and spreading more quickly than we can contain and how proper land management can help create the environment needed for the lower, slower burning fires forrest need. They also talked about: How Wolff’s previous experience working with leaders at tech giants like Facebook and Netflix helped shape her leadership style The importance of working with indigenous groups to learn how people have been managing the land for centuries The key role AI places when it comes to monitoring land management and creating adaptive planning (0:00) Introduction (2:07) Vibrant Planet is modernizing land management (11:31) Adapting land management to climate change (16:45) Scaling nature-based climate solutions (20:16) The benefits of a for profit company (30:00) The importance of Indigenous knowledge in land management (35:01) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Of all the work tasks you could automate with AI, submitting expenses would probably be high on the list. Today on Found, we’re talking to Eric Glyman, the CEO and cofounder of Ramp, a spend management platform that is building AI tools to make financial workflows easier for employees and employers. In this episode they talk about what Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and how they see AI changing fintech forever. They also talked about: What Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and from their time working at Capital One The white space that still exists in fintech How Ramp is implementing security measures while ramping up their use of AI (0:00) intro (2:20) SImplifying financial processes (8:41) Automation expense management (13:46) AI could take over tedious work tasks (19:10) Security and privacy with financial data and AI (23:45) Taking a lower valuation (31:54) What's next for Ramp and fintech Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Recycling is one facet to solving the climate crisis, but most of us are doing it wrong. Today on Found, Becca and Dom are talking with Rebeca Hu, the CEO and cofounder of Glacier, an AI robotics company that is building robots to accurately sort recycling. They talk about how many of us are wish-cylers who hopefully throw non-recyclables into the bin and how Glacier’s robots are sorting the recycling and making sure all of our recycling mistakes are corrected. They also talked about: What it takes to train an AI-powered sorting robot What the reception has been like in recycling facilities How the robots are tracking the kind of waste we’re creating as they sort How Rebecca told this story to fundraisers who have very likely never stepped foot in a recycling center. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Applying for government benefits is a slow, tedious process that often leaves applicants in limbo for several months. Advocate looks to help. Today on Found Becca and Dom are talking with Advocate’s founder Emilie Poteat, the company that helps Americans engage with federal benefits programs through its technology-enabled services platform. In this episode they discuss how the Advocate team is using AI to automate advocacy and get the wait time for people seeking aid to nearly nothing.They also talked about: Where Poteat ultimately found fundraising success How the government has reacted to a small startup seeking to automate such an embedded bureaucratic process Why AI is the best tool in the technological shed to work with the mass amounts of rules and data required to navigate the social security system How the team is implementing the security measures needed when dealing with such sensitive information (0:00) Introduction (4:16) the status quo of applying for government aid (8:56) Automating government services (13:13) using AI to automate advocacy (18:29) Finding the right investor fit (24:13) Hiring for a social impact company (30:00) Collaborating with government agencies (32:00) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Do you know what brand your bedsheets are? Probably not. Today’s guest Ariel Kaye has been working to change that with Parachute, a DTC bedding and home goods company. Kaye started Parachute in 2013—the hayday of DTC brands. She joins Dom to talk about what it was like building as a solo founder while she’s established a well-known brand and expanded beyond bedding. They also talked about: Why parachute hasn’t raised as much capital as you might think How Kaye’s branding expertise has driven the company’s identity Kay’s best advice to avoid burnout and be the best leader possible as a solo founder Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This episodes dives into the massive web of the wedding industry with Shan-Lyn Ma, the co-founder and CEO of Zola. Ma talked about why she decided to launch the business after trying to buy a gift for a friend and realizing that wedding registries were still living in the past. Ma spoke about how the company navigated changes in the digital and competitive landscapes over the last decade and how the company powered through the pandemic's impacts on the industry. (0:00) Introduction (3:33) Creating a better wedding planning experience (8:45) Building in the wedding industry (13:45) Inclusivity in the wedding space (18:35) Personalizing wedding planning (23:11) Adapting to the pandemic (33:08) AI-generated thank you notes (43:00) What's next Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Is it time for the resume’s reign to come to an end? Tigran Sloyan is the co-founder and CEO of CodeSignal, a skills assessment platform used by many tech companies to hire engineers based on their engineering chops rather than their keyword-packed resumes. In this episode, Becca, Dom, and Tigran talk about how traditional resume-based hiring perpetuates biases and limits opportunities for individuals without extensive networks or prestigious credentials and how skills assessment lead to more equitable hiring. They also get into the CodeSignal team’s plans to go beyond assessment to skills development, how AI will play a role in building out these courses, and the way Tigran thinks about equitable hiring on his own team. (1:32) Solving the "talent problem" in hiring and skill development (4:55) Math competitions to MIT (10:42) Resumes, skills assessment, and AI in the job market (14:50) AI's impact on jobs and learning (20:05) Personalized learning with AI tutoring (24:47) AI tutoring platform for education and career development (28:57) Personal growth as an entrepreneur (32:42) Strategic hiring (37:08) Company culture, transparency, and AI development (40:35) AI tutoring platform and its potential impact on job requirements (42:34) Tech industry skills training and apprenticeships (44:16) AI-powered tutoring and personalized learning Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Not many businesses start with a seemingly incurable case of Bacterial Vaginosis but today’s guest, Beatrice Dixon, found a company and a cure all in one. The Honey Pot is a plant-based vaginal wellness brand that was co-founded by Beatrice after she launched by selling her products at hair shows. On today’s episode, she tells Becca and Dom how those hair shows lead to the Honey Pot hitting shelves in Target.They also talked about: How Beatrice knew it was time to stop bootstrapping The importance of finding investors who understand your mission and the intentional culture of your company The downside to having a fiercely loyal customer base Trusting the process and making decisions with the your consumers in mind Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

It’s hard to remember a time when newsletters weren’t flooding every inbox but today’s guests were on the forefront of bringing easily digestible news directly to their audience. Today on Found, Becca is joined by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm which is a digital media company, dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions. They talked about how they’ve navigated the digital media industry for over a decade, how they pitched this to investors when they were new to the game, and the importance of building a team that aligns with your vision. They also talked about: The importance of having a direct line to your audience and the benefit of building on your own platform, not on social media Their grassroots marketing in the early days How one thing they nailed from the beginning is having a unique voice. (0:00) Introduction (1:35) being on the forefront of millennial media companies (6:08) the power of email marketing (8:35) the early days and bootstrapping (14:07) Not fitting the silicon valley mold (17:34) the co-founder relationship (23:11) Leadership styles and growing a company (29:31) Prioritizing growth Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Gut health might be having a moment on TikTok but Ben Goodwin the co-founder and CEO of Olipop knows first hand the monumental impact a healthy microbiome can have on your mental and physical health. Today on Found. Becca and Dom are joined by Ben to talk about how he led the gut-healthy soda brand to amass $200 million in gross sales just five years after their launch. They also talked about: How the team prioritizes access to the product in low-income areas and food deserts Fundraising and pitching to CPG investors The importance of health and wellness companies to do research to back up their products claims The key to changing consumer behavior (0:00) Introduction and two truths and a lie (2:12) Olipop introduction (5:42) Researching the microbiome (11:34) The industrial diet in America (15:03) Transitioning from research to product development (17:49) Product nostalgia and marketing (20:29) Market share in the beverage industry (23:26) Olipop’s 200 million dollar year (25:44) Targeting food deserts (27:36) Time management as CEO (31:06) Fundraising and pitching investors (33:32) What’s next (36:03) Host commentary Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Grab your spoon and a carton of milk because today on Found we’re talking to Magic Spoon co-founder and CEO Gabi Lewis. Magic Spoon creates cereal flavors that play on our nostalgia for Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs with a grown-up high-protein twist. Dom and Becca talk with Gabi about how he and his co-founder prioritized product-market fit and found investors who didn’t think cereal was dead. They also talked about: What Gabi learned from his previous startup Exo which made cricket-protein bars and how he’s changing his leadership style at Magic Spoon Transitioning from being a solely DTC brand to in-store retailer and how he’s learned to manage buyer relationships and store-to-store drama. How meticulously they develop new cereals and how they’ve incorporated customer feedback. (0:00) Welcome Gabi Lewis (1:45) Magic Spoon TLDR (3:38) Innovating in the food industry (11:40) Managing DTC and IRL retail (24:00) Acquisitions and competition (28:15) Entrepreneurship, product development, and leadership evolution (35:32) Outro with Becca and Dom Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

On today’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca talk to Markus Witte, co-founder of Babbel, a language learning app that had been operating since 2007. Babbel has become one of the most prominent language-learning apps but their first product was essentially just a vocab game and they quickly discovered that a multi-modal way of learning will always be more effective. Markus also talked about why he decided to step down as CEO and take on the role of chairman and how all four co-founders have worked together to stick to the original mission of Babbel even after nearly 20 years. They also talked about: Being a very early adopter of a subscription business model The struggles of fundraising in Berlin in 2008 and how to operate intentionally lean How the company has implemented AI tools back when AI was still machine learning. Building a team that is deeply rooted to the original mission and how Markus developed the skills of an empathetic leader Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week Found is going down under. New Zealand-based TechCrunch reporter Rebecca Bellan talked with Alex Zaccaria the co-founder and CEO of Linktree about how they've scaled the freemium model to grow the social media reference landing page startup. Alex also talked about the challenges and benefits of fundraising internationally, the upside to raising in a more difficult climate, and how they see Linktree changing the way creators curate content for their audiences. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Welcome to a very special host-only episode of Found. Dom and Becca are breaking down 2023 in startups by looking back on some of our favorite conversations and looking forward to predict some startup trends in 2024. They talked about innovative climate tech companies, AI ethics and fundraising, building good founder relationships, and what next year could look like for startups. Thanks to all our listeners for an amazing year, we’ll see you in 2024! Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week’s episode is focused on Charlie Hernandez and his journey of building My Pocket Lawyer, an online platform that is meant to democratize access to legal advice and guidance for those that might not be able to afford a lawyer. Hernandez talked about why he decided to put his law degree to use to tackle this problem. He also talked about: How My Pocket Lawyer uses AI to curate publicly available legal documents for its users Why a startup is a better approach to tackle this problem compared to a nonprofit or pro bono legal work The feedback he’s gotten from potential customers and the legal industry Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This episode centers on James Wagoner, the co-founder and CEO of Joule Case, a startup that is creating a cleaner alternative to diesel generators. Wagoner talked about his journey to launching the company after the first company he, and his co-founder, started didn't survive the 2008 financial crisis. He also talked about: Why they chose to raise money through equity crowdfunding and how that's worked out for them What it has been like building in this new environment for cleantech How he, and his co-founder, have successfully worked together since meeting freshman year of college Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Today on Found, we’re talking to David Rogier, the CEO and founder of Masterclass, a streaming platform where you can learn from the world’s experts on a variety of topics, from baking to screen writing to developing empathy. Before David launched MasterClass, he worked as a VC. Through his connections there received a $500,000 seed round before he even had an idea for a company. That was nearly a decade ago, and today Dom, Becca and David talk about how he’s built the company since.They also talked about: How MasterClass was able to land its notable names from the beginning How the company has scaled after a disappointing launch How MasterClass has adapted to its users needs during the pandemic and beyondSubscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Medicaid is in its regulatory moment. Today we’re joined by Neil Batlivala from Pair Team, which is building the infrastructure that will help the most vulnerable populations get the clinical and social care they need through the Medicaid expansion. Dom and Becca talked to Neil about how his previous health tech experience lead him to start a company solely focused on connecting care facilities like food pantries and shelters to clinical training and care through Medicaid funding. They also talked about: Why there is a gap in health tech to serve our most vulnerable communities The regulatory issues that dictate the businesses growth and expansion to new states How he thinks about doing well financially and doing good in the world Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction. Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Studs co-founders and good friends Lisa Bubbers and Anna Harman want to own your ear piercings. They are helping Gen Z people and millennials create their dream earscape with piercing studios that are opening across the country. They talk with Becca and Dom about building and fundraising for a VC-backed brick and mortar business.They also talked about: The importance branding has played in the success of Studs How they pivoted during the COVID lockdowns to include a robust e-commerce option The way that they think about planning their next city for expansion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction. Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Today on Found, we have something a little different and extra special for you. We’re bringing you two bonus conversations all about sustainability in fashion from TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. First up you’ll hear our very own Harri Weber sit down with three guests, Jim Ajioka from Colorifix, Beth Esponnette from unspun and Julie Willoughby from Circ. They are all powerhouses in sustainable fashion and they all happened to join Harri on the Sustainability Stage. Watch their full conversation here. In part two, we have a great conversation between TechCrunch’s Morgan Sung and Jemima Bunbury from BLEND, which is a curated fashion app that is changing the way we shop online. They focus on impulse purchases, how to help customers develop their own style and, of course, how we can make it possible to stay trendy and shop sustainably. Some topics they covered include: Fixing the fashion supply chain so all the materials are created in a sustainable way Helping consumers find products that will last Enticing larger brands to shift to sustainable practices Why a holistic approach to sustainable fashion is crucial when trying to eliminate waste in the industry Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

On today’s episode, host Becca Szkutak is joined by our old friend Darrell Etherington to talk with Nasrat Khalid of Aseel. Aseel started as an ecommerce company making it possible for local artisans in Afghanistan to sell to customers across the world and has evolved into working in humanitarian aid delivering emergency food supplies to people in need in Afghanistan and Turkey. They talk about: How Aseel built a digital infrastructure that made it possible for artisans to sell to customers all over the world How the company shifted from ecommerce to humanitarian aid when Afghanistan went into crisis The struggle to get investment when the company is considered so high-risk The ethical concerns that arise when your business focuses on the world’s most vulnerable populations Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Launching an e-commerce startup in the grocery space is no small task. On today’s episode Becca and Dom are joined by Abhi Ramesh, the CEO and founder of Misfits Market, a grocery startup that sells surplus and unwanted produce directly to consumers who don’t mind funny-looking foods. They talk about how he started the company in his apartment handling every aspect from personally buying the unwanted produce from the farms, to storing the food, to packaging and shipping, all while running the website and trying to fundraise. He racked up six-figure credit card debt to fund the logistics-heavy startup before raising his first seed round — and that was just the first three months of the company.They also talked about: The systemic issues that have created a massive amount of produce waste Changing consumer behavior when shopping for food and how COVID helped their business The lessons Ramesh learned after Misfits Markets acquired Imperfect Foods and what the next steps are for the company Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Found, TechCrunch’s podcast that brings you the stories behind the startups. This week our hosts Becca Szkutak and Dom-Madori Davis talk with Jonas Torland from 7Analytics, a Norwegian company that has built a data platform that powers tools and products for sustainable risk management. Their models predict the water paths of floods which allow them to predict and map the damage. They got into: How to balance responsibilities between four founders The difference between mitigation and adaptation startups and why it’s harder to raise in the adaptation space The challenges and opportunities of a Norwegian company expanding to the U.S. The important role startups are playing in fighting and adapting to climate change Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week we’re bringing you a conversation with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door, an AI-driven narrative game engine. This mini-episode recorded in person at TechCrunch Disrupt and Dom and Hilary get into how generative AI is changing online gaming, building a team of creatives, and fundraising in the gaming space. Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity, and Chain Reaction. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected] Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week’s episode features a conversation with Giovanni Fili, the founder and CEO of Exeger, a startup that creates flexible solar cells that can create electric energy off of any light condition. Fili talked about what it has been like devoting the last 15 years of his career to a company based on tech that hadn’t previously been proven to work. He talked about running a deep tech company as a non-technical founder and how he’s built a capital-intensive startup off of relatively little funding. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]

This week, our old friend Darrell Etherington joins Becca Szkutak to talk with Professor Esther Rodriguez-Villegas from Acurable. Acurable is a medical device company that makes patient-friendly wearable devices that accurately diagnose and manage respiratory conditions at home. As a career-long academic, Rodriguez-Villegas never intended to be a founder until she learned about how the currently available medical devices made it extremely difficult to detect and treat diseases like sleep apnea and epilepsy. On this episode they talk about balancing academic research and running a company, how to scale a medical device startup, and how Acurable has spread to hospitals throughout the UK by just word of mouth. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: [email protected]