The Building Blocks Podcast

In this episode of Building Blocks, we're joined by Dana Nedamaldeen, CEO and co-founder of Neocom.ai, an AI-powered guided selling platform helping online shoppers find the right product through conversational, usage-based recommendations instead of endless scrolling and filtering. Dana brings over a decade of software and entrepreneurship experience, having built and led teams across travel tech, healthcare tech, and service industries before founding Neocom.ai in Munich in 2022.He discusses how Neocom.ai has already helped more than 5 million consumers find products online, the company's recent €4.5M raise led by Carbide Ventures and Sangha Capital, and the strategic push to expand from Europe into the U.S. market.Guest: Dana NedamaldeenLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dana-nedamaldeenConnect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivikFollow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpodTopics:0:00 Introduction1:05 Dana's path into entrepreneurship, from a London startup to founder6:02 Meeting Sebastian and founding Neocom9:34 What Neocom is, and choosing B2B over a consumer brand11:15 How LLMs collapse the shopping journey into one agentic layer13:46 Data silos, early results, and why multi-agent beats single-agent products22:54 Beyond filters: qualitative context and the data-pipeline challenge24:44 Emotional vs. non-emotional purchases, and agents serving agents28:42 The ASEQUAL study on conversational shopping quality34:01 Big players entering the space, and Neocom's contrarian bet41:47 Vision for the agentic layer and U.S. expansion43:13 Book Recommendation: Traction / EOS44:25 Wrap-up#AI #Ecommerce #AgenticCommerce #shopping #Startups #GuidedSelling #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

In this episode of Building Blocks, we're joined by Michelle Marcelline, co-founder of The Prompting Company (YC S25), on her 3rd startup with the same founding team she met in a college CS101 class. Michelle traces her path to entrepreneurship back to watching The Social Network in middle school in Indonesia, a moment that led her to convince her parents to send her to school in San Francisco with one explicit goal: become a founder.She and her co-founders built their first real win in 2017, arbitraging a 20% Bitcoin price gap between the U.S. and Indonesia, before going through Y Combinator's W20 batch, pivoting away from a stock-investing idea, building a passwordless auth company called Cotter (acquired by Stych), and then Type Dream, an AI website builder eventually acquired by Beehiiv.Michelle now leads The Prompting Company, helping products get discovered and used by AI agents through what the industry calls Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), being the answer language models give, not just the top Google result. Michelle and Daivik dig into the mechanical difference between SEO and GEO, her first-ever agentic purchase at Stripe's Tempo event, working with NVIDIA's under-the-radar developer tools, and the lessons that only really sink in once you've been through the hard parts yourself.Guest: Michelle MarcellineLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelle-marcellineConnect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivikFollow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpodTopics:00:01 — Guest background: how The Social Network sparked a founder obsession01:32 — Meeting her co-founders: shared immigrant ambition and lasting team chemistry03:12 — Early ventures before YC: 10+ failed experiments including Bitcoin arbitrage08:05 — Getting into YC and pivoting away from US stocks for Indonesia09:23 — Building Cotter: passwordless auth pivots to US market, sold to Stitch15:16 — Building Type Dream: Notion-like website builder gains traction, sold to Beehiiv20:43 — Why start a third company: builders at heart, the SF effect23:22 — What The Prompting Company does: Generative Engine Optimization explained25:26 — SEO vs GEO, agentic commerce, NVIDIA collaboration, seed round & customers40:32 — Closing: book reco and what's next for the Prompting Company#AI #GenerativeEngineOptimization #Startups #YCombinator #Entrepreneurship #Founders #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast#thepromptingcompany

In this episode of Building Blocks, we dive deep with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-founder and CEO of Sendoso, an AI-enhanced gifting platform that's revolutionizing how companies build authentic connections with customers and prospects. From selling mistletoe as a kid to building a company that's raised $152M in venture funding, Kris shares his entrepreneurial journey and insights on scaling both software and physical operations globally.Guest: Kris RudeegraapLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap/Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivikFollow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpodTopics:0:00: Introduction2:40: Early entrepreneurial experiences and Silicon Valley influence8:15: Building Sendoso and validating the initial concept14:30: Scaling marketplace operations and warehouse logistics21:45: The Alyce acquisition and consolidation in the gifting space27:30: Relocating HQ from San Francisco to Phoenix33:15: Balancing AI automation with human connection39:40: Managing global operations and quality control45:20: Integration strategy and partnerships51:35: Book Recommendations53:00: Future of Sendoso and AI innovation#B2BSales #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #PhysicalOperations #AIInnovation #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

In this episode of Building Blocks, we sit down with Emre Ertan, co-founder and co-CEO of Cenoa, a borderless super wallet revolutionizing how people in emerging markets access digital dollars. Previously the CPO/CTO at Getir where he scaled the engineering team from 80 to 400 people, Emre shares his journey from a small town in Turkey to Silicon Valley, and how that experience shaped his vision for democratizing financial access globally. He discusses Cenoa's explosive growth in Nigeria (50K+ signups in first month), their innovative approach to simplifying blockchain technology for everyday users, and his perspectives on building compliant fintech products across 40+ markets.Check out Cenoa: https://www.cenoa.com/Guest: Emre ErtanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eertan/Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivikFollow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpodTopics:0:00: Introduction2:40: Early entrepreneurial journey and Silicon Valley inspiration13:20: Experience scaling product and engineering at Getir19:40: Building Cenoa and addressing emerging market pain points28:15: Achieving rapid growth in Nigeria35:30: Balancing technical sophistication with user simplicity42:45: Navigating regulatory environments across markets48:20: Future plans for US dollar-based debit cards and financing51:35: Book Recommendations53:00: Vision for Cenoa's future#Fintech #Blockchain #EmergingMarkets #StartupLife #FinancialInclusion #ProductDevelopment #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

Shrikant Latkar, co-founder of BaseRock.ai and former CMO of InMobi, shares his extensive journey in the tech world, from large enterprises to startup life. He discusses the evolution of software testing and how AI is transforming quality assurance. Learn about the challenges of scaling a startup, building Oust Labs, and navigating customer acquisition in a changing market. Shrikant also emphasizes the significance of relationships in business and his future vision for BaseRock.ai.

In this episode of Building Blocks, we're joined by Michelle Stephens, Chief Revenue Officer at Felt and a pioneer in healthcare technology. With a unique journey from pediatric nursing to tech entrepreneurship, Michelle shares her invaluable insights on bridging the gap between clinical care and technological innovation. She discusses her experience co-founding Oath Care, a digital health platform leveraging AI for maternal and child healthcare, and her groundbreaking research on childhood stress and autonomic nervous system reactivity. Michelle also opens up about her current work at Felt, the "ultimate care API," and her mission to transform healthcare delivery through technology. Guest: Michelle Stephens, PhD, CPNP, RN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michelle-stephens/ Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivik Follow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpod Topics: 0:00: Introduction 4:15: Michelle's journey from nursing to entrepreneurship 12:30: Research on childhood stress and healthcare outcomes 19:45: Building Oath Care and lessons learned 28:40: The vision behind Felt and transforming healthcare delivery 35:20: Bridging clinical expertise with technology 42:15: The role of faith in technology (Acts 17 Collective) 48:30: The future of healthcare technology 51:35: Book Recommendation 53:00: What's next for Michelle #HealthTech #Healthcare #Entrepreneurship #DigitalHealth #Innovation #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

In this episode of Building Blocks, we dive deep into the world of real-time data streaming with Paul Dudley, Co-founder and CEO of Streamkap. Having previously founded Gravity (acquired in 2022) and held leadership roles at BrightEdge and NetBase Solutions, Paul shares his journey from physics graduate to data infrastructure entrepreneur. He offers valuable insights on modernizing data streaming, the evolution of real-time data needs, and building developer-friendly tools that simplify complex technologies. Check out Streamkap: http://streamkap.com Guest: Paul Dudley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldudley/ Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivik Follow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpod Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:40: Paul's journey into entrepreneurship 8:15: Early experiences with NLP before LLMs at NetBase 14:30: Scaling BrightEdge from single-digit millions to $100M 21:45: The founding story of Streamkap 28:30: Understanding Change Data Capture (CDC) and its importance 35:20: Real-time data's role in modern applications 41:15: The intersection of streaming data and AI 46:30: Building and scaling a technical team 51:35: Book recommendations and sci-fi's relevance to tech 54:00: Future plans for Streamkap #DataStreaming #RealTimeData #TechStartup #DataInfrastructure #Entrepreneurship #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

Vijay Koduri, Co-founder and CEO of Sizzle.gg, shares his journey from the early internet days to leading marketing at tech giants like Google Wallet and Adyen. He delves into building trust in fintech and emphasizes the importance of community for growth. The conversation highlights Sizzle.gg's innovative AI in gaming, which transforms how esports content is created. Vijay also discusses the parallels between the AI boom and the dot-com bubble, offering insights on effective marketing strategies and navigating partnerships in the evolving gaming landscape.

In this episode of Building Blocks, we dive deep into the world of AI-powered content creation with Neel Balar, co-founder of Clueso. Neel shares his journey from IIT Madras to Y Combinator, and how he pivoted from his initial startup idea to building Clueso, a platform that transforms screen recordings into polished video tutorials and documentation. He offers valuable insights on product development, customer acquisition, and scaling a global SaaS business. Check out Clueso: https://www.clueso.io/ Guest: Neel Balar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neelbalar7/ Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivik Follow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpod Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:40: Neel's journey into entrepreneurship 8:15: The pivot from Desklamp to Clueso 15:30: Building and scaling Clueso 23:00: Integrating AI models into the product 29:45: Growth strategies and customer acquisition 36:20: Balancing global markets and customer support 44:10: The importance of customer experience for startups 50:30: Clueso's vision and future plans 55:45: Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 59:30: Next steps for Clueso #aicontentcreation #Entrepreneurship #ProductDevelopment #SaaS #YCombinator #StartupLife #BuildingBlocksPodcast #podcast

In this episode of Building Blocks, we dive into the world of trust-based home-sharing with Bo Abrams, Co-Founder of Kommu. Bo shares his journey from finance to entrepreneurship and how he's reimagining travel accommodations through a unique social networking lens. He discusses Kommu's innovative approach to connecting travelers with trusted hosts, the challenges of building a two-sided marketplace, and his vision for the future of home-sharing. Check started on Kommu today: https://www.gokommu.com/ Guest: Bo Abrams LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bo-abrams/ Connect with Daivik: https://bento.me/daivik Follow the Podcast: https://bento.me/thebbpod Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:40: Bo's background and journey into entrepreneurship 9:30: The inspiration behind Kommu 15:45: Kommu's trust-based model and market differentiation 23:00: Challenges of building a two-sided marketplace 29:30: Kommu's business model and monetization strategy 35:00: Future of home-sharing and Kommu's vision 41:15: B2B opportunities for Kommu 46:30: Book recommendations and wrap-up