

Build Mode
TechCrunch
On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies — and sanity— intact. Each season, Isabelle is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into specific aspects of the startup journey, from creative go to market strategies to founder mental health. The interviews are full of candid startup wisdom—think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. So, if you’re starting a company or or even just thinking about it, this is your survival guide.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 28, 2022 • 48min
Michelle You, Supercritical
Michelle You, co-founder and CEO of Supercritical, shares her journey toward helping companies achieve net-zero while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She discusses how motherhood helped her overcome imposter syndrome and reflects on the tough lessons from her first startup exit. The conversation dives into the urgent need for effective carbon removal methods and the complexities of carbon offset programs. Michelle emphasizes the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship and the importance of diverse talent in tackling environmental issues.

Feb 21, 2022 • 53min
Found Live ft Jordan Taylor and Edith Cooper, Medley
Listen in to the first-ever episode of Found Live. We were joined by the mother-daughter duo Jordan Taylor and Edith Cooper who co-founded Medley—a group coaching platform focusing on personal and professional growth. They talked with Jordan and Darrell about what it’s like to start a business with a family member amidst a pandemic, what it takes to foster community in a virtual space, and the importance of vulnerable, honest communication. Those who joined us live were able to participate in the conversation in real-time. If you missed this live episode, don’t worry, we’re going live on Hopin every other Thursday. On March 3, Toyin Ajayi from Cityblock will join the found crew at 10am Pt/ 1pm ET Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Connect with us:
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Feb 14, 2022 • 50min
Sunil Paul, Spring Free EV
RSVP for Found Live. Don’t miss your chance to listen to episodes found early and interact with Darrell, Jordan, and their guests. On February 17th at 10am PT/ 1pm ET, Thor Fridriksson will be talking about his experience launching two viral games and founding his new company Rocky Road. When serial founder turned venture capitalist Sunil Paul decided to step back into startups, it was only after trying to give the idea behind his fintech company Spring Free EV away for over a decade. The idea is simple, bring down the initial cost of electric vehicles by charging owners a fee per mile. And after the wildfires in California lead to what he called the "orange sky day" he knew he had to figure out a way to do more to address the climate crisis by making EVs more accessible to the people who drive the most in the US. He joins Darrell and Jordan to talk about the end of the world, recruiting as a climate-focused fintech, fundraising, and of course Canada came up a few times too. Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:Spring Free EVConnect with us:
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Feb 7, 2022 • 52min
Kentaro Kawamori, Persefoni
RSVP for Found Live. Don’t miss your chance to listen to episodes found early and interact with Darrell, Jordan, and their guests. On February 17th at 10am PT/ 1pm ET, Thor Fridriksson will be talking about his experience launching two viral games and founding his new company Rocky Road. This week, Persefoni co-founder and CEO, Kentaro Kawamori is joining us this week not only to talk about his climate tech startup that aims at helping asset managers, banks and other financial institutions measure their financial emissions footprint and purchase offsets. But he is also sharing his spicey takes on the fundraising landscape and what he thinks stands the best chance of combatting the climate crisis. Darrell, Jordan and Kentaro get into the importance of building the team that’s a perfect fit for the industry you’re disrupting and the Web3 company “Holy Smokes” they’re all launching together. Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:
Persefoni
RSVP for Found Live
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Jan 31, 2022 • 46min
Elizabeth Ruzzo, adyn
We’re in the business of talking to very impressive people who are working to solve incredibly tough problems— but Elizabeth Ruzzo, founder and CEO of adyn, may be one of the most impressive yet. Not only did she develop the only test for women to ensure they are prescribed the birth control that will be the least likely to have detrimental side effects, she also founded the company and fundraised as the sole employee of the company. She talks to Darrell and Jordan about the challenges she faced as a solo founder/employee raising money for a solution for birth control, why she decided to leave academia, and the complicated regulatory maze she had to navigate to get adyn off the ground. Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:
adyn
Elizabeth on Equity
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Jan 24, 2022 • 52min
Julian Green, Headroom
We’re talking to serial founder Julian Green whose most recent startup, Headroom is using AI to hack human conversation—starting with meetings. Julian’s goal is to make meetings and virtual communication feel closer to talking in the real world. Come to hear a very smart founder talk about his experience, stay for Jordan pitching sound effects for every time Darrell mentions Canada. Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:HeadroomConnect with us:
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Jan 17, 2022 • 51min
Ariela Safira, Real
This week Darrell and Jordan talk with Real CEO and Founder, Ariela Safira. Real is a therapy platform that aims to make mental healthcare more accessible by offering group sessions and curriculums a user can engage with any time. While in college, Ariela had her first encounter with the mental health care system and realized that people were only seeking help for their mental health when they were in crisis. She then spent years studying the ways people seek care and how therapy could be more accessible and effective. In this conversation as they dive into everything from the research that lead her to found Real to religion to the merits of Goop. CW: suicide and attempted suicide.Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:
Jordan's TechCrunch Article
Real
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Jan 10, 2022 • 46min
Liz Young, Realm
Liz Young remembers when her family became homeowners, even at six years old she understood it was a big deal. That sparked a fascination with real estate and the home-owning experience. While working at Bloomberg, she discovered the importance of data-driven decisions in the housing market. She wanted to give the power of data to the average homeowner so she founded Realm which helps homeowners prioritize renovation projects to increase the value of the home and use their time and money wisely. Darrell, Jordan, and Liz talk about the tricky housing market, how powerful localized data is for homeowners, and how Darrell can renovate his basement dungeon gym for the greeted ROI.Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Links from the episode:
Mary Ann Azevedo’s Tech Crunch Article
Realm
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Jan 3, 2022 • 54min
Ashley Sumner, Quilt (re-release)
As COVID-19 cases spike many people enter 2022 in some kind of quarantine, a conversation about community and connecting across a digital space feels like just what the doctor ordered. Ashley Sumner's original concept for Quilt was all about meeting up in person — almost an Airbnb for conversations. But shortly after launch, the universe threw a wrench in the works, as a global pandemic shut down or severely limited in-person interaction almost everywhere, particularly among strangers connecting for the first time. Quilt made a pivot into the suddenly crowded social audio space, but Ashley explains how it kept its core focus and differentiation in the process. Links for this episode:
Quilt
Quilt, an audio social network focused on self care, raises $3.5 million in seed funding
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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

Dec 27, 2021 • 41min
Alexandra Bonetti, The Talent Hack
While owning and operating studio gym spaces in New York, Alexandra Bonetti knew that it shouldn’t have to be this hard to establish processes for issues all gyms have like recruiting new members, hiring qualified talent, and getting substitutes for classes, to name a few. So she founded The Talent Hack which is a platform geared towards helping experts working in the fitness and wellness industry achieve tangible success. In this episode, she discusses her philosophy that everyone has superpowers and she is passionate about discovering those talents and making them work for the individual and how to be nimble as a new company in a complicated industry. Take our listener survey and let us know a bit about yourself and what you think of FOUND.Connect with us:
On Twitter
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Via email: found@techcrunch.com
Call us and leave a voicemail at (510) 936-1618
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


