The Peel with Turner Novak

Zaid Rahman, Co-founder and CEO of Flex, leads an AI-native private bank tailored for high-net-worth middle-market owners. In the conversation, he reveals how Flex scaled to a $70 million revenue run rate in just two years and raised an impressive $60 million Series B. Zaid discusses the unique needs of mid-market businesses, innovative products like a 60-day interest-free credit card, and insights from launching during a challenging market. He also shares the crucial role of events and community-driven customer acquisition in Flex's growth.

Matteo Franceschetti, Co-founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, dives into the fascinating world of sleep optimization. He shares the pivotal role of sleep in overall health and offers practical tips for improving sleep routines. Matteo explains how Eight Sleep uses AI and temperature control to enhance sleep quality, and he discusses the unique challenges of building a hardware company. With insights on future innovations in sleep technology and the importance of mission-driven hiring, he paints an exciting picture of the evolving health landscape.

Rahul Vohra, the Founder and CEO of Superhuman Mail, shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey, including selling companies to LinkedIn and Grammarly. He reveals the impressive $700 million ARR and 40 million daily users of Superhuman, discussing how email integrates within Grammarly’s ecosystem. Rahul emphasizes designing products like video games to enhance user engagement and revisits his quantitative guide to achieving product-market fit. His experiences highlight the strategic importance of robust integration and the evolution of AI in productivity tools.

Will Gaybrick, the President of Technology and Business at Stripe, explores cutting-edge topics in tech and finance. He delves into Stripe's exciting work with stablecoins and how AI is revolutionizing payments. Discover insights on why AI-driven companies are growing 3.5x faster than traditional SaaS. Will discusses the complexities of building financial infrastructure, modular product design, and the company's cautious approach towards an IPO. Tune in for an engaging look at the future of commerce and Stripe's role within it!

Roger Ehrenberg, Co-founder of Game Changers Ventures and IA Ventures, dives into the world of seed-stage investing and sports ownership. He shares insights on how COVID transformed the sports landscape and the potential of innovative formats like the Tomorrow Golf League. Ehrenberg discusses the significance of real estate adjacent to stadiums and the evolving business models in sports. He also highlights traits of successful founders and gives valuable advice for emerging managers, emphasizing empathy and a drive to solve problems.

Daksh Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of Greptile—a leading AI code review platform—shares insights on the evolution of AI in coding. He discusses why coding won't be fully automated, emphasizing the ongoing need for human input. The conversation delves into how engineering teams are adopting AI tools and the importance of effective onboarding to drive adoption. Gupta also reveals innovative marketing stunts his company has employed, highlighting the balance between creativity and product-market fit in growth strategies.

Adit Abraham, Co-founder and CEO of Reducto, leads an AI document ingestion company that has processed over a billion pages. He shares insights on rapidly landing a Fortune 10 customer as a two-person startup and achieving $1 million in ARR in just months. The conversation dives into the challenges of extracting structured data from varied document layouts and the importance of accurate ingestion for AI applications. Adit also discusses their strategic approach to growth, emphasizing depth over breadth in product development.

Erik Bernhardsson, Co-founder and CEO of Modal, previously a Spotify engineer, dives into the creation of AI-native infrastructure. He discusses the GPU shortage and Modal's innovative approach to aggregating GPU capacity. Erik shares his insights from Spotify’s culture and the importance of treating hiring as a prediction problem. He believes AI will significantly increase the demand for developers, and emphasizes the need for startups to address challenging, long-term problems rather than chasing quick wins.

Austin Petersmith, Co-founder and CEO of Howie, dives into the challenges of building AI email assistants. He explains why AI is tough to crack, especially with the complexities of scheduling. Austin reveals how a human-in-the-loop approach has improved growth and user retention. He shares the story behind Howie's catchy name and the viral launch video that propelled their success. With insights into brand strategy and the potential for broadening their services, Austin outlines the exciting future for AI in productivity.

Chris Frantz, Co-founder and CEO of Loops—an email platform designed for software companies—shares his insights on the persistent challenges of email communication. He discusses the unique product-led growth strategy and the decision to skip a Series A funding round. Chris dives into the hilarious marketing stunts that built their early user base, including a memorable Times Square billboard. He also explains why all customer support is handled by engineers, reflecting his hands-on approach to user experience.