Welcome to the tenth episode of “Million Dollar Exits” - a special series brought to you by The Build In Public Podcast.This episode features John Rush, founder of Mars X - a dev tool making $1.5m ARR with over 20,000 developers in the ecosystem.John has been a software expert and entrepreneur for over 15 years and has made multiple acquisitions including Unicorn Platform.In this interview, John and KP explore a range of topics, sharing their valuable perspectives on:● Intro (00:00)● The blossoming tech/indie hacking scene in Istanbul (2:53)● Indie hacking trends from 2008 to 2023 (04:51)● Mars X and its goal to accelerate software development (09:51)● The acquisition of Unicorn Platform (17:39)● A culture of identity and creative freedom (23:41)● Collaboration for shared resources and distribution (26:22)● Stories behind John Rush’s previous acquisitions (27:44)● Current acquisition market activities (34:01)● How John Rush started his AI journey (40:36)● Latest applications of AI and its potential (49:34)● The current biggest opportunity in AI (53:21)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening! Links:John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnrushxMarsX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marsxdevMarsX website: https://www.marsx.dev/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP’s podcast link: https://www.buildinpublicpodcast.com/episodesKP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Calum Johnson, host of The Calum Johnson Show – a podcast with over 250 episodes. He built a top 5% pod that got 1.5 million views on social in 60 days.Calum also owns the podcast production company CJ Podcast Pro - helping companies & entrepreneurs build a unique digital brand through the power of podcasting.In this interview, Calum and KP delve into all things podcast and branding, sharing tips and insights about:● Intro (00:00)● Calum’s podcast and why this concept is important to him (03:22)● The story and the goal behind CJ Podcast Pro (05:16)● Longevity, consistency and patience (07:40)● One mistake Calum used to make when starting something (10:35)● The value of short form content (13:40)● How Calum chooses his guests for his podcast (16:52)● 2 things successful podcasts have in common (18:16)● The edge that The Calum Johnson Show is trying to develop (20:57)● Finding authentic moments in an interview (21:56)● Operating on an ‘instinct level’ in anything creative (26:47)● Calum’s research process and pre-podcast recording regimen (34:51)● Key learnings about short-form videos and social media (41:42)● Calum’s and KP’s top 3 picks as their dream guests (46:23)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts in the comment section.Thanks for listening! Links:Calum’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/calum_johnson9 CJ Podcast Pro: https://cjpodcastpro.com/The Calum Johnson Show: https://www.youtube.com/@thecalumjohnsonshowKP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Jim Kroft, Aishwarya Ashok, and Varun Kumaraswamy - three exceptional fellows from the awesome 2nd cohort of the Build In Public Fellowship (BIPF).BIPF is a curated community and 6-week program designed to help ambitious founders put themselves out the arena and build in public fearlessly.Join the 3rd cohort starting in August: https://buildinpublicfellowship.com/In this interview, Jim, Asihwarya, Varun and KP delve into all things building in public, exploring topics such as:●     Unique reasons that led them to join BIPF (07:25)●     Common passion as a binding factor (12:41)●     The power of storytelling and emotional connection (18:34)●     How to become interesting (15:23)●     What building in public is and how it is embodied (23:13)●     Navigating between over-positivity and vulnerability (26:24)●     Building in public as a natural catalyst for curiosity (27:56)●     Attracting what you put out (32:57)●     Sharing experiences and learnings to build in public (35:25)●     The value of teaching and act of sharing (37:46)●     The Impact of being part of the Build In Public Fellowship (39:11)●     Belief capital as a result of building in public (44:28)●     How to maximize community membership (54:00)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening!Links:Jim Kroft’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimkroftAishwarya Ashok’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aishashok14Varun Kumaraswamy’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/varunpk_Build In Public Fellowship: https://buildinpublicfellowship.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP 

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Sheel Mohnot, the co-founder and GP at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $225M fund that helps fintech founders at their early stages.BTV has also recently launched a fintech accelerator, this time under its own roof, called The Mint.In this interview, Sheel and KP uncover Sheel’s remarkable journey, sharing their perspectives on topics like:● Intro● What Sheel is most proud of with BTV● Sheel being the most relatable VC ● The definition of winning and levels of wealth ● The dynamic experiences, setbacks and passion of immigrants● What Sheel finds most inspiring about his father’s immigrant journey● Lessons learned during his leadership at 500 Fintech Accelerator● Top investments they made at 500 Fintech● Why Sheel loves early-stage companies● The Mint: its mission, vision and how they built it● Patterns and traits that great entrepreneurs have● Time founders should spend on building vs. talking to users● The Mohnots’ Taco Bell metaverse wedding● Story behind The Pitch Show● Sheel’s request for startups● What he would want to buildBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening! Links:Sheel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitdesiBetter Tomorrow Ventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/btv_vcBetter Tomorrow Ventures: https://www.btv.vc/The Mint: https://www.btv.vc/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP 

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Marc Cohen, a solo partner and investor at Unbundled VC, typically investing in early-stage startups mainly in digital tech, and e-commerce with up to £200k checks.In this interview, Marc and KP navigate through Marc's experiences, personal insights and reflections on topics including:● Intro (00:00)● Marc’s background story & how he got into venture capital (02:23)● What made him build in public as a venture capitalist (06:26)● The genesis and reason behind Unbundled VC (10:16)● Marc’s belief on the unbundling of the VC (12:24)● Consistency and compound interest of content (17:46)● Content ideas and experiments (21:04)● The kind of founders Unbundled VC is looking for (29:49)● Businesses and sectors that Marc wants to invest in (32:04)● 3 startups Marc and KP could have invested in during the last 2 decades (35:23)● Learning to invest, but never knowing what will succeed (43:59)● Explaining what founders have learned from users (47:09)● Marc’s top 3 questions that would assess great founders (48:19)● The power of having a network of founders (50:56)● Vulnerability as a huge part of building in public (54:09)Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Share your thoughts in the comment section.Thanks for watching this video! Links:Marc’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcnigelcohen/Marc’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbundledvcUnbundled VC: https://www.unbundled.vc/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP 

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Anna Buldakova, the founder and CEO of Meander - a platform that helps tech professionals to change or advance their careers through mentorship.Meander was recently launched on Product Hunt snatching #1 Product of the Day, #1 Product of the Week, #5 Product of the Month and #1 Education Product of the Month.In this interview, Anna and KP unpack valuable insights and lessons on topics such as:●     Meander’s origin story and Anna’s background●     The importance of enjoying the ‘founder journey’●     What Meander.so is – its purpose, mission, & focus●     What they did to stand out on Product Hunt●     Lessons from their launch experiences●     How to leverage your network for Product Hunt●     Setting realistic expectations when launching●     Balancing between what to build and what not to build●     The Understand-Identify-Execute Framework●     Amount of time and energy spent on user engagement●     Qualities and traits of viable mentors●     The power of asking the right questions●     Insights on the AI revolution●     What’s next for Meander Build In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening! Links:Anna’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoFlameNoGameMeander: https://meander.so/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Krish Ramineni, co-founder and CEO of Fireflies - an AI note-taking assistant designed to streamline corporate productivity.In this interview, Krish and KP delve into Krish’s founder journey, sharing their perspectives on topics such as:●     Introduction to Fireflies.ai●     Krish’s background story●     How and why Krish decided to build a startup●     Krish’s realization that he is meant to be a founder ●     His experiences during his first few years in startup●     Advantages of using Fireflies for different kinds of companies●     The inflection point of Open AI / Generative AI●     Subscription rates of transcription tools and how it changed●     Factors that helped Fireflies build conviction ●     Krish’s advice to aspiring founders●     Advice and realizations on fundraising●     Role of a community in Krish’s early startup journey●     What’s next for FirefliesBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening!Links:Krish’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/krishramineni?lang=enFireflies on Twitter: https://twitter.com/firefliesaiFireflies: https://fireflies.ai/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP 

Chenell Basilio, a prolific writer behind the newsletter 'Growth in Reverse,' shares her insights on how top creators achieve 50,000+ subscribers. She discusses her unique content creation strategies and the importance of visual appeal. Chenell reflects on her writing process, the tech tools she uses, and lessons learned from analyzing other creators. She highlights common mistakes for beginners and emphasizes the value of authentic engagement in the creator community. Listeners will love her advice on maintaining momentum and producing compelling content.

Welcome to another episode of the Build In Public Podcast.Today's episode features Oliver “Olly” Meakings, Co-founder of Senja, a platform that makes it easy to collect video and text testimonials from clients and customers. He has now taken Senja to $7K MRR while also being prolific at building in public, sharing his highs and lows in being a founder.In this interview, Olly shares his journey and perspective on topics such as:What is Senja and how long has Olly been at itSharing both the highs and the lows of his journeyWhy Olly loves building in publicThe “messy middle” of growing a startupGoing from zero MRR to beginning a partnershipHis non-obvious lessons from getting his first customer to nowTips on gaining and gathering testimonialsHandling customers from onboarding to feedbackingOlly’s observation about the way SaaS products growHow to set expectations as a founderGoing into a niche filled with competitionHow to navigate having a lot of competitorsBuild In Public Podcast is an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Thanks for listening and let me know what you think!Links:Olly’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/helloitsollySenja: https://senja.io/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP

Welcome to the ninth episode of “Million Dollar Exits” - a special series brought to you by The Build In Public Podcast.This episode features Andrew Gazdecki – founder and CEO of MicroAcquire, now Acquire.com. Acquire is a platform that helps different entrepreneurs for startups and acquisitions.He previously founded The Job Board and Bizness Apps that both led to highly successful exitsIn this interview, Andrew and KP dive into topics about Andrew’s journey, sharing their thoughts and insights about:● Recent updates on Acquire.com● Andrew’s backstory and experiences going from idea to exit● Actions to achieve improvements on business● How Andrew manages to be fast but patient● How to keep customers happy● Acquire.com focusing to offer best products and startups● Bootstrapping as an effective way to stair-stepping a business● Steps to building your first startup or business● Andrew’s opinions on AI trends and tips on how to get into AI● His advice on growing a product to be a great asset for potential buyers● Acquire.com going from a year with zero paying customers to success● Andrew’s and KP’s stories about being hands-on dads● Defining of what success is and appreciating life Million Dollar Exits is a special podcast series that uncovers insider stories and actionable lessons with founders who went from an idea to 7-figure exits.It is a special segment within the Build In Public Podcast - an interview show where KP chats with ambitious startup founders, CEOs, and top Internet creators to unpack their stories, insights, and lessons.Shoutout To Our Episode Sponsor:Paralect is a venture studio built to design, build and launch a product for you that is ready to sell in under 2 months. Start with no-code or go full-stack right away.Visit their website: https://www.paralect.com/?utm_source=milliondollarexits Thanks for listening! Would love it if you can spread the word and share this with your friends/peers on Twitter/LinkedIn/other platforms.Links:Andrew’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/agazdeckiAcquire.com on Twitter: https://twitter.com/acquiredotcomAcquire.com’s Website: https://acquire.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP