Founder Mode

EPISODE 38Recorded mid-flight in Kevin’s Vision Jet en route to Monterey, Kevin and Jason talk with veteran pilot and aviation podcaster Max Trescott about why flying can feel like a flow-state reset, and how the discipline of aviation maps to building companies. Kevin shares his path from earning a pilot’s license in college to taking a long break, then returning to aviation with structured training, checklists, and the calm that comes from repetition. Together they unpack why “it’s not hard, it’s a lot of effort,” why SOPs and emergency prep matter when things break, and the real key to learning: consistent time in the seat, the right instructor, and a focus on proficiency over deadlines.CHAPTERS00:00 – Flying as a stress reset and the “are you ready?” check00:48 – Welcome to Founder Mode from the Vision Jet02:55 – Kevin’s pilot journey: college license to getting hooked on the Vision Jet05:23 – The founder/pilot overlap: effort, SOPs, and staying calm when things change13:09 – Buying (and upgrading) a jet: the sales cycle, timing, and “right message, right moment”LINKSConnect with Max TrescottAviation News Talk • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 37Kevin and Jason sit down with Austin Boer, co-founder of Sleke, to unpack what it takes to build a “dumb phone” that still supports modern life. Austin shares how a simple insight from the r/dumbphone subreddit shaped Sleke’s mission: people want fewer distractions, not less utility. The conversation covers founder-led customer discovery, why Sleke is built around intentional constraints like banning infinite scroll, and how the team balances privacy, usability, and real-world needs like QR codes, maps, and music. They also explore the bigger question of what replaces the phone by 2030 and why digital minimalism should be accessible to everyone, not a luxury product.CHAPTERS00:00 – The dumb phone problem people actually have03:50 – Why Austin built Sleke and what the product is04:30 – Founder-led discovery: 200+ ICP calls and shifting ICP08:20 – The “fatal flaw” of dumb phones and preventing app creep16:30 – Digital minimalism shouldn’t be a luxuryLINKSConnect with Austin Boersleke.io • Instagram • X/TwitterSpecial Offer: Use code FOUNDERS5 for a discount on a Sleke device.Stay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 36Kevin and Jason sit down with Scout cofounder Tim Barnes to rethink how founders raise capital in an AI-first world. Tim breaks down why most startups overlook trillions in available non-dilutive funding, how AI can automate painful proposal and compliance workflows, and why grants should function as a continuous business development engine—not a last-minute scramble for runway. They explore how climate, deep-tech, and healthcare companies can reposition their work to match shifting federal priorities without losing their mission, how Scout is helping both startups and government agencies modernize the funding ecosystem, and why founders should pursue grants before equity to validate traction and retain ownership. Tim also shares how he thinks about defensibility as foundation models advance, when to integrate grants into a capital strategy, and what it takes to keep founders focused on building instead of pitching.CHAPTERS00:00 – Why non-dilutive funding matters01:00 – Rethinking fundraising and bootstrapping in an AI hype cycle05:30 – How Scout uses AI to unlock and manage grants10:00 – Packaging your mission for shifting policy without losing focus16:00 – When to use grants vs equity and how Scout’s fit check worksLINKSConnect with Tim BarnesScout • LinkedIn • X/TwitterSpecial OfferDirect message Tim on LinkedIn and mention Founder Mode for 20% off your first year of Scout.Stay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 35Kevin and Jason sit down with Healthcare AI Guy founder Max Drescher to unpack how AI is actually changing healthcare, from front-desk voice automation and AI scribes to clinical decision tools and consumer apps that give people more ownership of their data. Max shares how a habit of writing internal M&A news briefs at UnitedHealth turned into a fast-growing newsletter and community, why distribution has become one of the most important forms of founder leverage, and what separates real impact from hype in today’s healthcare AI boom. They dig into the rise of tools that reduce burnout and administrative friction, explore longevity, Blueprint-style protocols, and digital twins, and look ahead to a near future where AI-powered biology and smarter clinical support reshape medicine long before fully autonomous AI doctors arrive.CHAPTERS00:00 – Why AI + health now06:30 – Max’s path from M&A to Healthcare AI Guy and the power of distribution12:10 – What’s real vs hype in healthcare AI for providers and patients18:30 – Longevity, Blueprint, and founders getting serious about sleep22:00 – The next five years of AI in health and where it’s all headedLINKSConnect with Max DrescherHealthcare AI Guy • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 34 In this episode, Kevin and Jason break down how founders can turn conferences from low-ROI distractions into high-leverage growth engines. Fresh off a major healthcare event in Nashville, they unpack why most networking fails, how Pretty Good AI turned a platinum sponsorship into a full activation with mini-golf and meeting pods, and the systems that converted casual foot traffic into hundreds of real customer conversations. They dig into founder-mode presence, team ownership, pre-work, follow-up, and the small details that make an event actually move the business forward. CHAPTERS 00:00 – The Value of Networking Events 01:25 – Challenges of Traditional Networking 02:47 – Reevaluating Event Participation 03:27 – Executing a Successful Conference Strategy 04:24 – Planning for a Major Conference Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 33Kevin Noertker, co-founder and CEO of Ampaire, is leading the charge toward sustainable aviation by electrifying the skies. In this episode, Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton visit Ampaire’s Long Beach hangar to talk about hybrid-electric aircraft, scaling innovation in a century-old industry, and why “hybrid isn’t the compromise—it’s the bridge.” Kevin shares how Ampaire is retrofitting existing planes to fly cleaner, safer, and farther using hybrid-electric propulsion, the challenges of certification and infrastructure, and the roadmap to fully electric flight. It’s a masterclass in pragmatic innovation—one that proves hardware can move fast when driven by purpose.CHAPTERS00:00 – Expanding Horizons of Hybrid Aviation05:00 – From Aerospace Giant to Startup Founder12:30 – Why Hybrid Beats Fully Electric (for Now)20:00 – Capital Efficiency and Government Partnerships27:45 – The Future of Flight: Hybrid as the BridgeLINKSConnect with Kevin NoertkerAmpaire.com • LinkedInStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 32Founder Mode sits down with Natalie Kaminski of JetRockets to cut through AI hype in software development. Natalie shares findings from a five-month experiment using code assistants: top engineers see ~30% efficiency on tedious tasks, but AI can duplicate components, forget context, and mislead juniors who can’t evaluate output. She argues developers matter more than ever—AI augments, not replaces—while real value comes from problem definition, secure architecture, and disciplined human review. Tools help with migrations, boilerplate, and tests; judgment, clarity, and empathy still decide what ships.CHAPTERS00:00 – There’s no “I” in today’s AI03:30 – Do developers still matter?04:51 – AI as augmentation: the calculator analogy06:41 – Workable AI: migrations, boilerplate, tests (~30% gain)19:08 – Where AI breaks: duplication, lost context, human reviewLINKSConnect with Natalie Kaminskijetrockets.com • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 31In this live Founder Mode episode recorded at Workshop in San Francisco, Jason and Kevin sit down with two of the most influential builders in modern tech — Max Mullen, Co-Founder of Instacart, and Andrew Ofstad, Co-Founder of Airtable. They share never-before-heard founding stories, from Instacart’s $20K Trader Joe’s hack to Airtable’s first prototype built entirely in local storage. The conversation spans early lessons in scrappy product development, balancing speed and craft, scaling company culture, leadership evolution, and founder burnout. They also dive into how AI is reshaping startup building, what makes SF’s comeback real, and their most contrarian lessons from a decade of creating category-defining companies.CHAPTERS0:00 – Welcome to Founder Mode Live2:00 – Backing the Cybertruck into Workshop4:25 – The $20K Trader Joe’s Story9:45 – Building Instacart’s First Catalog10:58 – Airtable’s Early Browser-Only MVP15:32 – Speed vs. Craft: Product Tradeoffs22:18 – Scaling Culture and Leadership29:10 – Founders on AI, Product, and Speed35:44 – Burnout, Balance, and Founder Longevity42:36 – SF’s Comeback and Final LessonsLINKSConnect with Max Mullenmaxmullen.com • LinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with Andrew OfstadLinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 30Microsoft product leader Sangya Singh joins Jason and Kevin to unpack how to decide what to ship first in AI and automation. She shares a “strategy to win” playbook (fall in love with the problem, define the hypothesis, then hire and build), why agility must be daily not monthly, and how Microsoft balances agentic and deterministic systems—highlighting a risky-but-breakthrough bet on self-healing RPA. The crew contrasts outputs vs. outcomes, explores eval-driven prioritization, and talks scale mechanics inside Microsoft. Sangya closes with what’s next: voice-based AI surfaces that discover what to automate and “mech-interrupt” style safety tooling so enterprises can see, govern, and correct model behavior.CHAPTERS00:00 – Cold open: “Say no to great”00:28 – MVPs and sequencing in the AI era03:45 – Sangya’s path & “strategy to win”10:40 – Self-healing RPA and outcomes over outputs25:35 – What’s next: AI surfaces & safetyLINKSConnect with Sangya Singh LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 29Private equity meets AI in a grounded, operator-first conversation with Jason Friedrichs of AEA Elevate. We cover why “no-regrets” initiatives and clear ROI gates beat hype cycles, how to build an AI-first value creation plan, and why team design—not just capital—drives repeatable growth. Jason shares his thoughts on where PE playbooks are shifting beyond spreadsheets, the small wins that compound across functions (GTM, support, back office), how to navigate macro shocks, and what sectors he believes are primed for outsized AI-enabled revenue and margin expansion.CHAPTERS00:00 – The “no-regrets” move00:37 – Framing PE × AI: beyond hype to operating leverage06:19 – ROI discipline, pilots, and budgeting for AI15:20 – Beyond capital: the PE playbook & first 180 days20:21 – Healthcare opportunity, macro shocks, and exitsLINKSConnect with Jason Friedrichsaeainvestors.com/elevate • LinkedInStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter