
Found
How do you build a company from scratch? How do you take an idea and turn yourself into a founder? Find out from those who’ve already taken the plunge and are in the weeds of entrepreneurship.
Every Tuesday, hosts Becca Szuktak and Dominic-Madori Davis interview founders on their origins, product roadmaps, funding efforts — and how they grow from failures. Found is produced by Maggie Stamets
Latest episodes

Dec 31, 2024 • 51min
Saying goodbye to Found where we started
Jordan Crook and Darrell Etherington, both TechCrunch reporters, reflect on their two-year journey in the world of startups. They delve into the challenges of nurse recruitment and staffing, especially during the pandemic, highlighting innovative solutions in healthcare. The conversation touches on the entrepreneurial mindset, emphasizing relationship-building with investors and the impact of business models in health tech. Listeners are encouraged to revisit the show's archives to relive memorable moments and insights.

13 snips
Dec 24, 2024 • 21min
How to build a company that can save the world while generating profit
Hyuk-Jeen Suh, co-founder of Venx and a general partner at SkyRiver Ventures, joins a panel of innovative founders to discuss merging profit with purpose. They explore how startups can genuinely contribute to sustainability while meeting shareholder expectations. The conversation delves into the impact of AI on energy innovation and the importance of partnerships with large corporations like Amazon and Google. Suh highlights strategies for navigating corporate-startup dynamics and advancing climate tech while securing financial returns.

Dec 17, 2024 • 40min
Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nick Frosst from Cohere
Nick Frosst, an innovator at Cohere, discusses the booming world of enterprise AI and the building of natural language models. He argues that the current AI trend is here to stay, dismissing bubble theories. Frosst emphasizes the importance of multilingual capabilities and AI’s potential for sustainable practices. He also dives into the complexities of fundraising, regulatory challenges, and the necessity for responsible AI development. Tune in for insights on AI's future and its impacts on various industries!

Dec 10, 2024 • 48min
Rethinking the social network with Andy Dunn from Pie
In this episode, Dom and Becca are joined by Former Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn to talk about his mission to reverse America's loneliness epidemic through Pie, an app built to facilitate connections in the real world. They discuss the lessons Dunn brought from fundraising for Bonobos to Pie, founder mental health, and building a consumer movement in the midwest.

Dec 3, 2024 • 20min
The playbook for empathy-driven investing with Erin and Sara Foster from Oversubscribed Ventures
On this episode of Found, Dom is joined by Sara and Erin Foster along with their advisor at Oversubscribed Ventures, Phil Schwarz. Across their careers, the Foster sisters have co-founded the clothing line Favorite Daughter, co-led creative for Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF, and currently co-host a podcast together. Erin Foster even created the top Netflix show “Nobody Wants This,” starring Kristen Bell. But in this conversation we get into how they made the pivot to VC, the type of investments that excite them the most, and how they balance all of the different facets of their careers.00:00 - Introduction02:27 - Empathy in VC04:41 - The Influence of Whitney Wolfe Herd and Kim Kardashian09:45 - Working with Family12:27 - Prioritizing Mental Health and Work-Life Balance15:24 - Media Perception of Female Founders

Nov 26, 2024 • 45min
Closing a major gap in women's health with Alloy Women's Health
This week on found, Dom and Becca are talking with the co-founders of Alloy Women’s Health who just closed a new funding round to expand its mission of fixing menopause care. Monica Molinar and Anne Fulenwider discuss raising capital in a competitive health tech landscape, their choice to bypass traditional insurance models, and how this funding will help them scale their telehealth platform nationally.00:00 - Introduction 04:37 - Turning personal experience into a business idea08:55 - The challenges of raising awareness about menopause10:00 - Why Alloy bypasses insurance 15:00 - Scaling a telehealth model18:06 - How the political landscape affects women’s health20:00 - Addressing disparities in menopause treatment23:26 - Lessons from Alloy’s fundraising journey30:00 - The benefits of a co-CEO leadership model37:17 - Closing thoughts
Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Nov 19, 2024 • 39min
Building a data powerhouse for the AI era with Felix Van de Maele from Collibra
This week on Found, Dom and Becca are diving into the world of data governance with Collibra CEO Felix Van de Maele. They get into how maintaining organized data started as a niche concept and became the bedrock of AI and privacy compliance. They also talk about the early challenges of building a startup in Belgium, the lucky breaks that saved the company, and why Felix believes every employee is a “data citizen.”00:00 - Introduction02:00 - The Importance of Organized Data in the Age of AI05:00 - Collibra’s Early Days07:13 - How the 2008 Financial Crisis Sparked Collibra’s Growth10:00 - Navigating the Evolution of Data Governance15:00 - Balancing Privacy, Security, and AI Integration19:25 - Overcoming Early Challenges25:00 - Lessons in Leadership and Building a Team30:00 - The Future of Collibra and the Role of Data Citizens31:42 - Closing Reflections and Takeaways
Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:
On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Nov 12, 2024 • 36min
Taking Generative AI into the physical world with Raquel Urtasun from Waabi
In this episode, Dom and Becca dive into the future of trucking with Raquel Urtasun, CEO and co-founder of Waabi, a company pioneering driverless, long-haul trucks powered by generative AI. They talked about Waabi's unique simulation-based training approach, its vision for autonomous technology, and how it could redefine the trucking industry and workforce.
Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:
On Twitter
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Nov 5, 2024 • 18min
What the Chainsmokers bring to the cap table with Dan Lorenc from Chainguard
This week we’re taking you backstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Becca Szkutak had the chance to talk with Dan Lorenc, the CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity startup Chainguard following their conversation on stage with prominent investors, The Chainsmokers. They discuss how the EDM duo's venture fund MANTIS went from being viewed skeptically by traditional VCs to becoming a highly sought-after investment partner in the B2B space, how Lorenc scaled the company in a difficult time for cybersecurity, and what value celebrity investors can add to a startup.Check out the full onstage conversation here.00:00 - Introduction02:27 - Chainguard: Company Overview and Open Source Security 05:27 - Google Background and Solar Winds Impact 08:02 - Building Chain Guard: Product Evolution 11:44 - Early Fundraising and Timing 12:53 - The Legendary Alex Pall Cold Emails 15:01 - MANTIS Investment Impact 16:11 - Company Growth and Future Plans 16:51 - Learning from Early Mistakes
Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:
On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Oct 29, 2024 • 27min
Designing a more intelligent firearm with Kai Kloepfer from Biofire
Recorded live from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Found co-hosts Becca Szkutak and Dominic Davis sit down with Kai Kloepfer, CEO of Biofire, a smart gun company that aims to prevent firearm misuse. Kloepfer gets into the hurdles of building a hardware startup in the firearm industry from fundraising to building a reliable product. Please note this conversation deals with topics around gun violence and suicide.
Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:
On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: found@techcrunch.com
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