AI for Founders with Ryan Estes What 50 founders taught me about innovation
Jul 25, 2025
40:08
AI for Founders – 50 Episode Recap
Show Notes
Ryan Estes and Fernanda celebrate 50 episodes of AI for Founders with a candid check-in on how far the podcast has come. From its humble beginnings in February to more than 50 episodes, 22,000+ subscribers, and countless hours of interviews with global startup founders—this episode is part recap, part roadmap for what’s next.
Key Takeaways
- Pivot to AI Focus: The show started as “Lift” but shifted focus due to overwhelming AI demand.
- Global Founder Trends: Many early-stage AI founders are based in Europe and Asia, reflecting global democratization of tech.
- Pet Rock Tech: Simple, single-function AI tools are gaining mass traction.
- DIY Microproduct Strategy: Ryan is shipping weekly novelty AI products to test adoption and monetization.
- Newsletter Growth: Over 22,000 subscribers joined since February.
- Memorable Guests: Nikhil (Vapi), Mariana (Hackerverse), Aaron (Nametag), and more.
- Representation: Strong presence of women AI founders featured.
- Deep Conversations: Meditation, philosophy, and even UFOs come up regularly.
- Stoicism: Most founders reference it as a guiding life philosophy.
- YouTube Growth: Ryan is experimenting with thumbnails, hooks, and formats to grow audience.
- Next Goals: Feature unicorn founders, reach 50K subscribers, and publish more expert-driven short-form content.
Resources & Featured Guests
- AI for Founders Podcast
- Newsletter: AIforFounders.co
- RyanEstes.info
- Vapi.ai – Nikhil Gupta
- Hackerverse.ai – Mariana Padilla
- GetNametag.com – Aaron Painter
- Tonita.co – Siva
- Hatter.ai – Jenna Hannon
- CodeStory.co – Noah Labhart
- Kitcaster.com – Sponsor
- Moburst.com - Sponsor
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