The Room Podcast

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 to The Room Podcast! A series interviewing your favorite tech founders and funders.Our guests were in the room where it happened and they're sharing their stories. The Room is hosted by Claudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain, two digital natives based in SF, who are challenging the status quo just like our guests.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

We are joined this week by Andrew Savage, Founder & CEO of Suma Brands, a commerce platform focused on developing marketplace brands, specifically on Amazon. Andrew is using his experience from helping establish early E-Commerce for Target and Amazon to guide other growing retailers to high-level success. Andrew and Suma Brands will “find, acquire, and help brands realize their potential.” In this episode, we chat about what is an “aggregator” in the sense of online retail and Andrew’s quintessential blend of focuses that most companies must adhere to; retail, tech, and content. Plus, Andrew shares his thoughts on the evolution of E-Commerce from its origin to now, and even some of his future predictions. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:48 - Where did Andrew grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?6:24 - Did Andrew always think he was going to be a founder?7:28 - What was Andrew’s early career path like while focusing on E-Commerce?10:52 - What were some “aha” moments while establishing early E-Commerce for Amazon and Target?13:06 - How has Andrew's experience been, being a part of the Amazon ecosystem?14:48 - What is Suma Brands and when did Andrew realize he wanted to found the company?18:31 - What inspired the name of Suma Brands?18:38 - What does it mean to be an aggregator, and does the term apply to Andrew’s business model for Suma?20:43 - What separates Suma from its competition?23:59 - Who was the first investor of Suma Brands and what was that experience like?26:03 - What things are Suma Brands looking for when considering acquiring a retailer?28:41 - Is Suma Brands focused on retail, tech, or something else?30:46 - What trends is Andrew seeing in the E-Commerce ecosystem that will continue to gain traction over the next few years?32:01 - What’s next for Andrew personally?32:51 - Who is a woman in Andrew’s life that impacted him and his career? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

S6E5: Lisa Bubbers, Co-Founder of Studs, is Bringing the Ear-Piercing Industry into the Modern Era with Integrated Piercing and Shopping Experiences Our season continues with Lisa Bubbers, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Studs, the modern platform for ear-piercing and earrings. Studs is all about safe and accessible ear-piercing for all people. Plus they have an easy-to-use, refreshingly branded e-commerce website with every earring fashion choice available. In this episode, Lisa talks to us about what “Earscaping” means to them, as well as what it’s like building a business with a complementary co-founder and the future of the modern shopping mall. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:47 - Where did Lisa grow up and how did that shape her view of the world? 5:43 - Did Lisa always think she was going to become a founder? 6:51 - How did Lisa’s degree in Visual Studies from UPenn translate into her early work experience? 8:52 - What lessons did Lisa learn around the intersection of the digital and physical while working at Jonathan Adler and home Polish?11:11 - What does the term “Earscape” mean to Lisa and Studs?14:00 - How did Lisa meet her partner, Anna, and what got them started on the founding journey together?15:27 - What advice would Lisa have for new founders looking for co-founders?16:53 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Lisa and Studs?17:48 - What was Lisa’s first piercing experience like?19:07 - How is Studs thinking about the future of omnichannel retail?20:18 - How did the pandemic affect Studs business?21:46 - What is the feeling that a customer gets when walking into a Studs store?23:10 - What does Lisa think the modern mall will look like in five years?25:05 - What are some of the tools in Studs’ D to C tech stack?26:29 - Has Studs considered a subscription model? Why or why not?27:27 - What’s next for Studs?29:09 - What’s next for Lisa?30:18 - Who is a woman in Lisa’s life that has 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

We are returning this week with another incredible guest, Sarah LaFleur. Sarah came up with the idea to create comfortable and fashionable, professional attire for women because she herself found that whenever she was searching for work outfits, it seemed that fashion would always be sacrificed for comfort. In this episode, we discuss the current state of the apparel market and how things have changed so rapidly due to the evolution of the internet and e-commerce, the future of DTC from the brand and consumer perspectives, and how previous work experiences influence a persons fashion choices. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:05 - What did Sarah take away from her college career, especially at Harvard?8:17 - What was the fashion industry like at that time of Sarah’s early career? 12:24 - What was the aha moment when Sarah knew that she wanted to become a founder?17:52 - What were some of the early supply chain processes of iterating and designing some of the first garments that were built for the “modern American woman?”23:07 - What advice would Sarah give to founders who are looking to raise today in retail and e-commerce spaces?23:34 - What advice would Sarah have to any founder today who might be thinking they’re going to disrupt retail?27:04 - What does Sarah think the future of selling directly to the consumer is?29:00 - Should women seeking to be mothers be freezing their eggs?33:33 - Who is a woman in Sarah’s life that has 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

Season 6 continues with Sandra Abrevaya, CEO and co-founder alongside her husband, of Synapticure. Synapticure's mission is to make sure no one living with ALS is ever told, “I'm sorry, I can’t help you” because Brian and Sandra know firsthand how difficult it can be to receive ALS treatment. We chat with Sandra about balancing a romantic relationship and a business relationship with your significant other, what the current treatment options are for ALS patients, and how the COVID pandemic affected business in the medical field. Check out Synapticure here! For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:48 - What convinced Sandra to go to Law School?5:21 - What are Sandra's top three takeaways from her career in politics that she uses as an entrepreneur? 9:37 - Did Sandra ever think she was going to become a founder? 10:57 - What has Brian's journey with ALS been like and how did it lead him and Sandra to found Synapticure?16:32 - Are there many options for treating ALS currently?22:17 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Synapticure?26:20 - What advice would Sandra give to a founder who is looking to build a mission-driven startup? 25:33 - What are some of those unique challenges in building a product and getting it into the hands of customers?26:07 - How does Sandra interface with patients during this need-finding process?31:14 - How did the COVID pandemic accelerate part of Synapticure’s roadmap? 33:37 - How does Sandra balance her romantic relationship and her business relationship with her husband?36:16 - What’s next for Sandra and Brian?37:49 - What’s next for Sandra personally? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

Season 6 of The Room returns with Julie Bornstein, Founder and CEO of THE YES, a personalized web-based fashion retailer that works with hundreds of brands, large and small. Julie describes what she learned from her time at Nordstrom, Sephora, and Stitch Fix and how she was able to use those experiences to create THE YES. Julie gives advice to new founders and the best first steps to take to raise capital from investors. Julie also walks us through THE YES’s algorithm and how they continue to provide an accurate and personalized selection for each user, as well as future goals for the company. Plus, she shares her insight on the future of online retail and Web3/ e-commerce 3 in general. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:58 - What was investment banking like when Julie was in college?6:31 - What were some of the innovations that Julie brought to Sephora to make them the cutting edge brand they are today? 13:10 - How did Julie end up working with Stitch Fix?16:35 - What was it like taking a company public after building it for over five years?18:29 - What led to Julie founding THE YES?22:30 - What does THE YES do?24:00 - Who were the early partners that said yes to working with THE YES?29:52 - What advice does Julie have for new founders?29:47 - What goals did Julie set for THE YES early on, and how did she carry out her vision?32:21 - How far are consumers from a fully personalized shopping experience?26:48 - How does THE YES’s algorithm learn from picky users and continue to provide an accurate personalized selection?36:25 - Who was the first brand to say yes to joining THE YES’s collection?38:18 - What was a time when things didn’t go to plan while starting THE YES?41:59 - What does Julie believe is the future of e-commerce? 43:44 - What’s next for Julie?44:47 - Who is a woman in Julie’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

Thank you for joining us for Season 6 of The Room Podcast! We are starting strong with our first guest, Shuo Wang. Her company Deel was evaluated at over $5 billion last year from their revolutionary work in remote work and international payrolling. Shuo joins us to talk about her experience at the Y Combinator and the impact it had on her work with Deel. Subjects continue with how the pandemic was a catalyst for the growth of Deel and what metrics Deel uses to track that success. Plus, we ask Shuo about her strategies for competitively innovating and expanding Deel. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:12 - Where did Shuo grow up and how has that shaped her worldview?7:01 - How did a Mechanical Engineering degree translate into founding?8:21 - What encouraged Shuo and her co-founder to start thinking about global hiring? 10:40 - How was Shuo’s experience at the Y Combinator and what was the MMVP of the Deel product?12:07 - What country first started using Deel’s services?12:45 - What is the core product of Deel?15:35 - Who was the first to say yes and invest in Deel?16:20 - How would Shuo define her role as co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer?17:15 - What was Shou’s strategy for competitively innovating Deel?18:52 - What tips does Shuo have for founders who think they over perfectionists?20:24 - What metric does Deel mainly use to track revenue?21:25 - How did the pandemic affect the growth of Deel?22:32 - When was a moment things didn’t go as planned in the Deel story?24:45 - How does Deel plan for expansion?24:53 - What does Shuo think the future of hiring looks like?26:57 - What can look forward to for Deel?27:59 - What is coming up for Shuo personally?30:06 - Who is a woman in Shuo’s life that impacted her and her career? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

Season 2 of Movers & Shakers ends with another incredible guest, Founder and CEO of Meet Cute, Naomi Shah. Meet Cute is a “rom-com incubator.” Audio, written video, short-form video, long-form video, etc. Meet Cute produces them all. Naomi tells us what inspired the idea for Meet Cute and what it was like for her to raise funding at the start of her founding journey. Naomi also speaks on balancing inspiring other underrepresented founders while not being stuck in the box of a “female founder.” Other themes discussed in this episode include turning an investment thesis into a company, the “girl boss” trope and what it means for founders, and the future of the romance genre. Let’s open the door. Watch Extracurricular Here! For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 0:05 - Where did Naomi grow up and how did that impact her view of the world? 2:34 - Did Naomi always think she was going to be a founder?4:10 - How did a mechanical engineering degree specifically translate into Naomi’s work?7:50 - What was the initial aha moment for Meet Cute?11:37 - In a few words, what is Meet Cute?12:47 - What is Naomi’s favorite Meet Cute series that they’ve made?14:43 - How was the process of getting the first funding for Meet Cute, and what did Naomi learn?17:49 - What advice does Naomi have for new founders?22:00 - How does Naomi balance paving a wave for underrepresented entrepreneurs, while also removing the stigma of being a “female founder?”27:09 - How do we appropriately help make things more equal for underrepresented founders?29:49 - What is Naomi’s favorite rom-com moment? 32:46 - How has a data-driven approach to storytelling helped unlock unexpected insights on consumers?37:09 - What does the Netflix stock drop say about the volatility of the entertainment market?40:19 - What's next for Naomi and her team at Meet Cute? 42:31 - Who is a woman in Naomi’s life that has 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

Our mini-series, Movers & Shakers, continues with Rachel Goddard, a partner at Cooley LLP for over 22 years. Rachel walks us through her path to becoming a lawyer before becoming a partner at Cooley. She explains why she loves her job and what she and Cooley do to assist emerging managers to start their funds. Rachel also shares some best practices on things new managers might now know, like management fees and GP commitments. We also get Rachel’s perspective on the next five years for venture funds in light of the past few years being a very hot market and non-accredited investors investing in venture funds. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 0:14 - Where did Rachel grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?0:58 - Did Rachel always want to be a Lawyer?1:41 - What was the pivot that led Rachel into law?3:34 - How is Cooley focused on supporting venture capital?6:04 - What comes up in early conversations with emerging managers?8:43 - Rachel clarifies some of the terminology used to describe different stakeholders. 10:42 - What are the four documents that Rachel always starts with?12:15 - What are some best practices on things like management fees and GP commitments?16:31 - What is the definition of a smaller fund to Cooley?17:21 - What are Rachel’s thoughts on non-accredited investors investing in venture funds?20:25 - What do you think the next five years hold for venture funds in light of the past few years being a very hot market?22:00 - What advice does Rachel have for first-time fund managers and underrepresented fund managers?25:41 - What is coming up for Rachel, personally?27:35 - Who is a woman in Rachel’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

Season 2 of “Movers and Shakers” continues with a legend in the digital marketing ad space, Zach Coelius, Co-Founder of Triggit and Managing Partner at Coelius Capital. Zach and his sister, Susan, played an instrumental role in modernizing the way advertisers use targeted digital ads. Zach deep dives into “retargeting,” a form of online advertising where the ads are targeted to consumers based on their previous internet behavior. The conversation progresses with the constantly changing legislation on privacy from large companies like Google and Apple. Plus, we further discuss Zach’s take on cryptocurrency, which is very different from the mainstream opinion. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:03 - Where did Zach grow up and how did this shape his view of the world?4:37 - Did Zach always think he was going to be an entrepreneur? 5:37 - Why did Zach attend five Olympic Games?8:52 - What is Triggit and how did Zach get started founding it?11:34 - What is the core product of Triggit and what was the competitive landscape like in the ad tech space?14:44 - How does Zach feel about the new privacy changes that Google and Apple are implementing?16:35 - Now in 2022, would Zach recommend entering the digital marketing ad space?18:05 - What are Zach’s thoughts on working within digital marketing on the paying side?19:41 - How is Coelius Capital structured? 22:31 - How would Zach describe his fund? 26:14 - Why is Zach not bullish on Crypto? Has his opinion changed in the last six months? See his mentioned User Manual here. 30:28 - What are some sectors that Zach is bullish on?31:36 - What advice does Zach have for founders looking for funding?36:12 - What’s next for Zach?37:25 - Who is a woman in Zach’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

We are kicking off our second entitlement of “Movers and Shakers” with a bang! In The Room with Mary D’Onofrio, partner and co-founder of the growth investment practice at Bessemer Venture Partners. Topics this week include the very active investing climate of 2022 and how to be proactive when searching for businesses to partner with, how to find, obtain, and retain skilled, specialized new hires, and the difference between growth-stage and early-stage investing. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:34 - Where did Mary grow up and how did this shape her view of the world?5:05 - Did Mary always think her career would be in Venture?7:28 - What lessons in “deal-making” did Mary learn during her time at Morgan Stanley?8:15 - What initially brought Mary to Bessemer in 2018?10:10 - What are some of the key characteristics you look for when searching for “the next big thing?”11:52 - How did Mary level up in that way to be able to really effectively evaluate these technical businesses?13:41 - How do you weigh valuing a company and its team versus the growth of the customer and the metric data?15:58 - What will continue to evolve within the cloud ecosystem for enterprise SaaS and software companies?17:34 - What is one company that is changing the way cloud is used or changing the technical ecosystem? 19:02 - How does Mary work with businesses she invests in? 21:10 - Is there a common stumbling block or something that is particularly tricky for new businesses? 24:10 - What advice does Mary have for post-B-level businesses who are struggling to retain talent and hire?25:50 - How is Mary thinking about 2022 and this current very accelerated pace of investing?28:53 - What does the future hold for Mary?29:32 - Who is a woman in Mary’s life that has had a profound impact on her career? The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe, GLAMSQUAD, and Clerisy. In our final episode of the season, and 50th episode of The Room Podcast, Alexandra shares her experience breaking into the online retail fashion world with her smash hit, Gilt Groupe, alongside her partner, Alexis Maybank. Alexandra explains how she had limited merchandising experience but took advantage of the consumer ‘FOMO’ by creating the early forms of fashion brand “drops.” In this conversation, we cover themes such as the original “drop” model, what’s happening in Miami’s ‘Silicon Valley Beach’, and the adoption of Omni-channel 3.0. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:23 - Where did Alexandra grow up and how did that experience shape her view of the World?5:55 - Did Alexandra always think she would become a founder?7:35 - When Alexandra was at Harvard, were many people looking to become founders?10:03 - What was the retail climate like in 2007 when Alexandra started Gilt Groupe?13:05 - Did Alexandra realize she was creating the early stages of fashion brand “drops”?14:24 - What inspired Alexandra to structure Gilt Groupe in the way that it was?15:13 - Was it difficult pursuing larger purchase orders without having much retail fashion experience?18:32 - Who's the first person to say yes to Alexandra and Gilt Groupe?20:39 - What challenges did Alexandra face when building the robust catalog of items on Gilt?25:31 - Is Alexandra more or less bullish on the gig economy than she was when she founded Glamsquad in 2014?26:56 - What is the investment strategy of Clerisy? 29:44 - How is the technology ecosystem evolving in Alexandra’s new home city of Miami?32:07 - What do the next five years hold for commerce?33:54 - How is Alexandra thinking about the evolving tech world, especially in regard to Web3?36:38 - Who is a woman in Alexandra’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Rathna Sharad, Founder, and CEO of FlavorCloud. With the constant growth of social media and the impacts of the pandemic, more businesses and brands are looking to export or import internationally. And since consumer expectations are only increasing, there is immense pressure on independent companies to unlock access faster. Enter, FlavorCloud, who takes care of the whole cross-border shipping process, including all customs requirements, wherever you’re shipping to. In this episode, CEO and co-founder, Rathna covers topics such as unlocking “anywhere to anywhere” shipping, the increasingly higher expectations of online consumers, and theories on how the supply chain issues will shape up this year. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:34 - Where did Rathna grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?5:24 - When Rathna was growing up did she want to be a founder?7:04 - What did the logistics ecosystem look like in the early 2000s?9:31 - What challenges did Rathna face when switching from B2B to B2C?13:02 - How did Rathna’s first company, Runway to Street, inform what is now FlavorCloud?18:45 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in FlavorCloud?19:41 - Who is the target customer of FlavorCloud?20:57 - Which international markets are growing the fastest and where would Rathna recommend retailers expand?25:25 - How will the supply chain shape up next year?29:09 - What advice does FlavorCloud have for businesses that manufacture and distribute in multiple countries?32:06 - How has consumer expectation shifted the need for logistics to become faster and faster? And how have the supply chain constraints stunted e-commerce growth?34:40 - What’s next for Rathna?35:00 - Who is a woman in Rathna’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Mac Conwell, the Managing Partner and founder of RareBreed Ventures. After founding a few of his own startups, Mac’s life changed when he learned about the world of VCs and funders. This inspired him to start RareBreed Ventures, a pre-seed fund that invests in founders outside of large tech ecosystems. Mac and RareBreed provide resources, capital, and financial education to new and underrepresented founders. This episode discusses; strategies for bridging the gap between funders and marginalized founders, the unique uses of TEDCO, a state-sponsored VC that provides resources to early stage companies in Maryland, and how Mac is utilizing Rule 506(c) to publicly fund new founders. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 0:17 - Where did Mac grow up and how did that shape his view of the world? 1:21 - How did Mac’s early career start put him on a path to entrepreneurship? 3:15 - At what point did Mac decide to quit his job and become an entrepreneur?5:06 - What resources are available now versus when Mac started his career?5:53 - Who did Mac start his first company with?8:59 - How did Mac’s experience as a founder lead him to venture?12:27 - What is it like to be primarily investing in your home state?16:19 - Is there a “top of the funnel” issue when it comes to who is receiving funding and financial education?18:13 - What is TEDCO and how is it tying venture to state funding?20:13 - Why did Mac start RareBreed Ventures?21:31 - How and why does Mac have a “become an LP” button on his website? 26:46 - Who are some of Mac’s favorite companies that he works with?30:46 - How will access to capital change for new founders in the future?33:32 - What’s next for Mac?34:30 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Mac and his career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Ash Rust, Managing Partner at Sterling Road. Since moving to Silicon Valley in 2008, Ash Rust has become an experienced mentor to startup founders and funders. Ash realized that he didn't like the traditional Silicon Valley approach of meeting someone for a small amount of time before making a decision on a large check, as fast as possible, because “that's the cool thing to do.” Instead, he chooses to spend a lot of time with founders early on to build an organic and more valuable relationship. This allows a better perspective on how Ash can properly assist the project. This episode includes insights on making an enterprise sale as an early or first-time founder, the right time to implement a sales team and who should be on it, and the current and future impacts of developing technologies on enterprise sales. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:57 - What interested Ash about becoming a founder and sales coach?7:48 - What is important when making your first enterprise sale?11:38 - When is the right time to bring a dedicated sales person to your team?13:41 - How do you balance asking for a sale while managing an overcritical internal mindset?17:00 - How has the landscape changed over time for making a sale?18:44 - As technology continues to develop, what will the future of optimizing the sales funnel look like?21:36 - What are some indicators or metrics of sales success?24:51 - Are there any overlooked tips in mastering enterprise sales?26:04 - Who is a woman in Ash’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko, General Partners of F7. For this episode of The Room, we chat with the women who lead the investments and operations of F7. F7 is a seed investment fund, composed of seven senior female operators. With their combined 16 years at Facebook, Kelly and Joanna explain what they learned from their time there and how they want to use their experience, relationships, and capital to make a difference. Kelly and Joanna manage F7 because they see a huge issue with the number of women that have “a seat at the table” in the investment industry and they want to encourage more women to be founders. This conversation describes some of the barriers to entry as a woman in the investment world and the importance of giving everyone an equal starting place in the industry. Plus, Kelly and Joanna reveal some common mistakes that new founders make and explain how the women of F7 can be beneficial at any stage in the startup process. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:55 - Joanna left Facebook after 9 years to pursue F7, how did her time there shape her career?5:57 - How did Kelly get involved with VCs, and why did she see the need for F7?7:32 - How did Kelly first make the transition into Venture? What was the aha moment that venture was next for her career?12:02 - What is the initial mission and investment thesis of F7?13:55 - What stage in a startup is the right time to call F7?16:43 - What are the barriers to entry on founding a fund and what was the process like for Joanna, both tactically and emotionally?18:17 - What are some common mistakes that founders make?19:55 - What are some tips for a founder whose idea is not clicking and may need to start thinking outside the box?21:58 - What are some examples of a really good executor and what are things to look for when hiring executors into your business?22:52 - Who is a company in F7’s portfolio that has really knocked their socks off based on their execution?24:15 - Where does Kelly see the investment industry in 10 years? 26:19 - Who is a woman in Kelly’s life that has had a profound impact on her?25:58 - Who is a woman in Joanna’s life that has had a profound impact on her? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Faye Keegan, Co-Founder, and CEO of Dipsea. Consumers are leaning more and more into audio as their primary medium for receiving content. Faye describes how Dipsea is the first of its kind by using the new consumer love of personal audio to empower women. “Sexy audio stories and intimate wellness sessions to help you find joy and confidence in and out of the bedroom.” This episode covers concepts such as good practices when partnering on a startup with a friend, the current state of audio platforms creators, and advice for fundraising in a non-traditional space. Bonus in time for Valentine's Day, Faye explains why it’s so important to sexually empower women and create a safer environment for sexual education. USE CODE: “THEROOM” on Dipsea's Website to get a free 30-day subscription to Dipsea and have access to over 500 stories, hot & heavy content, dreamy bedtime stories, wellness sessions, and an ad-free experience. Plus, you can cancel at any time. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 0:08 - Where did Faye grow up and did she always want to be a founder? 1:06 - What did Faye think of her time at Bridgewater and how did it affect her leadership style?2:06 - What was a lesson that Faye learned at Bridgewater that she has taken with her into the Dipsea culture? 3:16 - What inspired Faye’s career shift from investing to software engineering?4:40 - What was the initial a-ha moment that sparked the creation of Dipsea?6:19 - How did Faye meet Gina?6:54 - What is Dipsea’s core product?7:41 - How was the fundraising journey for Faye? Who wrote the first check?9:08 - What advice would Faye give founders who are just starting to think through an idea with a friend?11:19 - What was the process like finding a product-market fit for this unconventional user experience? 13:09 - Has there been any issues marketing these sensitive subjects?15:25 - How does Dipsea utilize their ability to empower women? 18:00 - How does Dipsea feel about the future of audio platforms and audio creators? 19:10 - What is Faye’s take on social audio platforms?19:42 - What things can people get excited about for the future of Dipsea?20:20 - What’s next for Faye?20:52 - Who is a woman in Faye’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Graham Fortgang, Founder of MatchaBar. Season 5 continues with Graham Fortgang, co-founder, and CEO of MatchaBar. Graham runs MatchaBar alongside his brother, Max, whom he’s worked with for over 7 years. We asked Graham why he and Max fell in love with matcha and, to break down their mission of bringing matcha to the mainstream whether through grocery stores, online shipping, or wholesale offerings. From guerrilla marketing in the busiest grocery stores to flying to Japan to study the origins of matcha, Graham has dedicated his life to his cause of bringing more attention to the benefits of matcha over your regular caffeinated drink. This week’s episode explores insights and themes such as the thousand-year-old origins of matcha, the power of hustle in building a business, and tactical tips on being an omnichannel retailer in 2022. Let’s open the door. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:29 - What was Graham doing before MatchaBar?6:40 - What made Graham and his brother, Max, decide to take MatchaBar seriously?9:51 - What was it like owning and operating cafés?11:53 - How did guerrilla marketing become an integral part of the MatchaBar brand?13:08 - How did it benefit Graham to study the history of matcha?16:00 - Who were the early suppliers of matcha to MatchaBar?18:02 - How was the transition from real cafés to a CPG brand?20:37 - Who was the first retail partner that believed in MatchBar?22:30 -What brought the decision to capitalize MatchaBar?24:14 - What has been the added value of having household name celebrities as endorsers?25:14 - What is Graham’s favorite matcha drink?26:33 - Why direct to consumer has been successful for MatchaBar and how the company has incorporated E-Commerce?23:44 - What advice does Graham have for another founder planning to rebrand their business?30:10 - Graham discusses how customers are the most sensitive they’ve ever been.31:10 - Who is in Graham’s D2C tech stack?32:22 - What is the next tool or platform that will help brands connect with their customers?35:02 - Where does Graham think this current movement for brand and product transparency is going next?37:05 - What are other trends to look out for in the CPG category?38:19 - What is Graham looking forward to next in his life and career?39:35 - Who is a woman in Graham’s life that had a profound impact on him? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

In The Room with Jeremy Cai, Founder, and CEO of Italic. We start off season 5 of The Room with Jeremy Cai, the Founder and CEO of Italic. Jeremy and Italic are changing what it means to be a manufacturer by connecting directly to customers and consumers, breaking from the traditional path of utilizing a middle-man distributor. Jeremy details the evolution of Italic, expanding on the changes they’ve made to the business model. Plus, we ask him about the future of the E-Commerce space and any predictions he may have. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 3:21 - Who is Jeremy Cai and how has his family background influenced his interests?4:42 - Jeremy compares what he learned from his time as a Theil Fellow to his time running his two subsequent startups.8:02 - What inspired the start of Italic? 12:37 - Who was the first manufacturer to sign up with Italic? 15:41 - What was the first product Italic sold and how did Italic get consumers to join?18:01 - What is the design process of Italic’s product offering?22:45 - Was getting a VC the first step in getting Italic off the ground? 23:18 - Who was the first Venture that said yes to supporting Italic? 24:48 - What led Italic to step away from their original mandatory membership model?27:11 - What does Jeremy think the next innovation in E-Commerce is?30:24 - Italic is not a brand but, they can create an experience.32:56 - What is Jeremy’s favorite product on Italic?33:51 - How has the current supply chain crisis affected Italic?35:14 - What advice would Jeremy give to a new E-Commerce startup founder?36:30 - What’s new for Jeremy in 2022?38:29 - Who is a woman that has impacted Jeremy? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

Welcome to the last episode of our four-part mini-series Movers & Shakers! This week, Madison and Claudia sit down with Ryan Mundy, Founder & CEO of Alkeme Health. Any football fans? You may also recognize Ryan as the Super Bowl-winning safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After eight seasons in the NFL and playing across three teams, Ryan retired at age 31 and embarked on a self-discovery journey to find his identity outside of football. This led him to spend time both on the investing side at Techlete Ventures and starting his first company SWZLE, a sustainable CPG brand. That year, Ryan and his family faced an unfortunate number of personal health crises, ultimately shedding light on healthcare inequalities that millions of Black Americans must face. From this personal experience came Alkeme Health, a digital health platform that features content from black practitioners and respected experts in wellness, including psychology and mindfulness to tackle the issues that are historically unaddressed by health tech, such as intergenerational trauma, systemic racism, anxiety and microaggressions. The platform is set to launch in January 2022. This week’s episode of The Room Podcast explores insights and themes such as endurance on and off the field, building an ecosystem of culturally competent care, and healthcare's future in America. Let's open the door. Movers & Shakers is proudly sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.