This Week in Startups

The Incredible Double Interview: Superhuman and Robinhood | E2090

Feb 27, 2025

In this discussion, Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood, share their entrepreneurial journeys. They delve into the transformative role of AI in Superhuman, highlighting features like auto-summarizing emails. Vlad recounts the disruptive rise of Robinhood in the financial sector. Both guests emphasize the importance of innovative design and user experience in their products. Listeners also get insights into strategies for targeting users, tackling spam, and navigating investment trends in today's market.

01:38:42

Creator website

Episode guests

Vlad Tenev

Rahul Vohra

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Investing upfront ensures valuable feedback from stakeholders, fostering commitment and enhancing product value perception among early adopters.

AI's integration in Superhuman significantly boosts email efficiency through personalized assistance features like auto-summarization and instant replies.

Prioritizing high-quality, polished features over quick releases creates competitive advantages and enriches user experience in product development.

Targeting founders and CEOs enables Superhuman to craft tailored marketing strategies and products that resonate with technically savvy, productivity-focused users.

Deep dives

Onboarding Investors with Honesty

The importance of onboarding investors in a straightforward manner is emphasized by requiring them to pay for the product upfront. This approach ensures that feedback remains honest and valuable, as no one receives a free pass, including investors. By making sure that everyone, including early investors like Jason, has to contribute financially, the speaker instills a sense of commitment and focus on the actual value of the product being built. This method also allows for a more engaged relationship with early adopters, as it encourages serious consideration of the product's benefits.

Intro

5min

The Evolution of AI in Superhuman Email Productivity

5min

Finding Developers Made Easy with Lemon.io

2min

Creating Joy Through Design

9min

Connecting Innovators and Essential Business Setup

2min

Revolutionizing Email for Productivity

5min

AI Evolution and Productivity Tools

11min

Navigating Product Design and Investment Strategies

25min

Strategies for Startup Growth

22min

10.

Navigating the Future of Cryptocurrency and Startups

4min

11.

Investment Trends and Liquidity in Startups

4min

12.

The Need for Investment Education and Risk Disclosures

5min

Today’s show: Jason interviews Rahul Vohra, CEO and founder of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO and co-founder of Robinhood. This is a packed episode featuring founder tips, fun stories about how Superhuman and Robinhood got their start and much more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Episode teaser(2:13) Product market fit and founder journeys(3:25) Jason's investment in Superhuman and market positioning(5:14) AI's role and features in Superhuman(10:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(14:37) Targeting users and competitive advantages(22:23) Evolution and new features of Superhuman

(20:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(24:37) Tackling spam with Superhuman's AI

(27:05) Custom auto labels and email classification

(29:47) Vapi. Go to Vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits

(32:03) Superhuman's auto reminders and drafts

(34:14) Vlad Tenev and the origins of Robinhood

(39:31) Product design philosophies of Robinhood and Superhuman

(49:29) Scaling design principles and investment decisions(

52:31) Subjectivity in product design

(55:14) Customer feedback in product development

(1:00:00) Superhuman's subscription model and customer acquisition

(1:05:11) PR strategies and news hijacking

(1:12:06) Investment experiences with Robinhood

(1:13:35) Navigating company valuation fluctuations

(1:15:03) Influences on Vlad Tenev and new Robinhood desktop product

(1:22:02) Company resilience and employee reorganization

(1:25:52) Crypto regulation and startup mentality

(1:30:05) Investment trends among Robinhood users

(1:31:12) Retail benefits for startups and capital raising challenges

(1:34:04) Accreditation for private investing and solutions

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Links from this episode:

Check out Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/

Check out Superhuman’s blog post that details all of the new features Rahul went over in the demo: https://blog.superhuman.com/the-next-superhuman-ai/.

Check out Robinhood Legend: https://robinhood.com/us/en/legend/

Article “How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit”: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/

Check out Rick Rubin’s book: https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886

Article on Bezos and Washington Post: https://www.newsweek.com/bezos-makes-big-change-washington-post-opinion-focus-endorsed-musk-2036618

Media Bias Chart: https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart

Check out “Working Backwards” book about Amazon insights: https://www.amazon.ca/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595

Check out Rahul’s article on acquisition: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rip-mailbox-founders-how-stop-worrying-love-being-acquired-vohra/

Follow Rahul:

X: https://x.com/rahulvohra

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/

Follow Vlad:

X: https://x.com/vladtenev