Founder Mode

EPISODE 13Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton sit down with serial entrepreneur Dennis Mortensen (IndexTools, Visual Revenue, x.ai, and now LaunchBrightly) to unpack what it was really like to build an AI company years before large-language models existed. Dennis recounts owning the x.ai domain before Elon Musk, hand-labeling 32 million emails to train an early scheduling agent, and the costly product-design decisions that followed. He shares hard-won lessons on focusing on pain over technology, reverse-engineering post-acquisition goals, and why parenting teenagers is the ultimate sales boot camp. Dennis then introduces LaunchBrightly, his new platform that automates every product screenshot in your help center—and he caps the chat with an exclusive free-setup offer for Founder Mode listeners.CHAPTERS00:00 – x.ai Before Elon01:34 – Hand-Labeling 32 Million Emails05:45 – Product Design > Prediction Precision14:45 – Birth of LaunchBrightly29:56 – Special Offer & Next StepsOFFERMention “Founder Mode” when you connect with LaunchBrightly to get your first batch of up to 1,000 automated screenshot-update recipes created for free.Connect with DennisLaunchBrightly • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 12From building gravity-defying camera rigs for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity to sending drones into live nuclear reactors and, most recently, designing job-site robots that can survive the dust and chaos of construction, Asa Hammond’s career shows how precision engineering and artistic vision can coexist. In this conversation, Asa explains how the exacting pixel-perfect discipline of Hollywood VFX became the blueprint for ultra-reliable industrial robotics, why safety and repeatability always come before flashy features, and how new UX layers—voice, LLMs, demonstration learning—are finally making complex machines feel like familiar tools. Along the way, we hear tales of full-scale “stunt-double” reactors, the reality of folding-laundry robots, and what it takes to assemble a world-class, T-shaped engineering team that thrives at the edge of possibility.CHAPTERS00:29 – From Film Sets to Founders: Show Intro02:12 – Asa’s Hollywood-to-Hard-Hats Origin Story05:57 – Engineering Robots for Gravity09:05 – Reinventing Construction with Industrial Arms15:56 – Flying Drones Inside Nuclear ReactorsLINKSConnect with Asa HammondWebsite • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 11From hand-carving a single silicone spatula in her kitchen to running a portfolio of revived consumer brands, Sam Rose walks Kevin and Jason through the through-line of her career: obsess over the customer, build a brand (not just a product), and make logistics as lovable as design. She explains how a “collision with the customer” on Kickstarter forced her into customer-service mode before she even had inventory, why color stories beat strict SKU rationalization, what the GIR sale to Pattern taught her about single-channel risk, and how vertical integration led to Manifest’s 3PL and the launch of Endless Commerce. Sam also breaks down AI’s role in just-in-time inventory, predicts an LLM-powered shopping future that both excites and unnerves her, and offers two free months of her commerce OS to fellow founders.CHAPTERS00:00 – Collision with the Customer & Kickstarter Lessons02:44 – Scaling GIR: Color Stories vs. SKU Discipline07:32 – Acquisition Insights: Building a Balanced Brand Portfolio09:54 – Manifest & the Cost of Learning Curves13:03 – Endless Commerce and AI-Driven Supply ChainsOFFERGet two months free on any tier and free onboarding to Endless Commerce when you mention the Founder Mode podcast or that Jason & Kevin sent you!LINKSConnect with Samantha Roseendlesscommerce.com • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 10Serial CTO and Acompli co-founder JJ Zhuang joins Kevin and Jason to explain why the next generation of great products will be built by tiny, AI-super-powered teams. He unpacks lessons from taking Acompli’s first line of code to a $200 million Microsoft exit, steering Instacart through pandemic hyper-growth, and relearning to code with tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Devin now writing the majority of his team’s code. Along the way JJ outlines the shift from hiring stack specialists to adaptable generalists, the rise of agentic “AI teammates,” and his mantra of “fast software” that lets founders prototype, test and ship at the speed of imagination—while still cutting through the 2025 hype cycle around agents and other buzzwords.CHAPTERS00:00 – Shots Fired: Surprising Start & Show Kick-off01:52 – From Acompli to Outlook: Building All-Star Teams06:11 – Instacart’s Pandemic Sprint & Early AI Adoption11:50 – Pair-Programming vs. Agentic Devs: Devin, Cursor & More22:12 – Fast Software & Filtering the 2025 AI HypeLINKSConnect with JJ ZhuangLinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/TwitterRESOURCESGitHub Copilotv0DevinCursorWindsurfAugmentOpenAI Codex

EPISODE 9Megan Berry—architect, pop-up pioneer, and Mentors Fund partner—shows DTC founders how to move from clicks to bricks without torching cash. She explains her 8-foot-by-50-square-foot kiosk “permit hack,” the KPIs (unaided brand awareness, repeat engagement, dwell-time hot spots) that justify a multimillion-dollar flagship, and why post-COVID stores should feel like friction-free showrooms, not inventory caves. The talk digs into festival activations, cadence-matched merchandising, omni-channel partnerships that now include hotels and Pilates studios, AI-powered journey tracking, and practical founder advice on conserving runway while staying crazy-creative.CHAPTERS00:00 – Permit Hack & Pop-Up Spark06:46 – KPIs That Green-Light a Flagship12:51 – Post-COVID, Low-Friction Store Design19:17 – Omnichannel Expansion & Partnerships26:25 – AI, Cash Efficiency & Founder AdviceLINKSConnect with Megan BerryLinkedInStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 8In this episode, serial entrepreneur Ritwik Pavan joins Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton to explore the rise of AI-first product design and its profound implications on consumer hardware, smart cities, and modular construction. They discuss the essential strategies founders need to adopt, including the importance of hyper-personalization, overcoming challenges in training data, untapped opportunities in lifestyle and public safety sectors, and why AI is turning hardware into recurring revenue businesses.CHAPTERS00:34 – What It Means to Build AI-First03:53 – Ritwik’s Journey and AI Consumer Innovations08:41 – Smart Cities, AI, and the Future of Urban Life17:08 – Modular Construction and AI’s Role in Housing22:20 – Underrated Opportunities: Lifestyle and Public SafetyLINKSConnect with Ritwik PavanHardware Herald • LinkedIn • X/TwitterStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

Peter Farago, a seasoned marketing leader with a strong background in zero-to-one strategies, shares invaluable insights for early-stage startups. He emphasizes the power of empathy, adaptability, and the importance of a clear value proposition. Discussing his experiences at Flurry and Acompli, he highlights leveraging customer feedback and iterative messaging. Farago also addresses AI’s transformative role, reassuring that it won’t replace jobs but reshape marketing practices. Packed with actionable advice, his conversation is a must-listen for founders navigating crowded markets.

EPISODE 6In this episode, Viktor Petersson shares how saying “no” can be a superpower for founders managing remote teams. He discusses practical strategies for email triage, boundary-setting to avoid burnout, and why in-person retreats are key to trust and alignment. Learn how Viktor’s approach to documentation, intrinsic motivation, and selective communication helps him preserve energy for what matters most—while still leaving the door open for valuable opportunities.CHAPTERS00:00 – Why Saying No Matters for Remote Teams02:23 – Setting Boundaries and Avoiding Burnout09:12 – Remote Work Fundamentals & Hiring15:18 – Onboarding & Team Summits22:21 – Building Trust Through Retreats & Face-to-Face TimeLINKSConnect with Viktor PeterssonScreenly: https://www.screenly.io/sbomify: https://sbomify.com/Podcast: https://vpetersson.com/podcastLIinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vpetersson/X/Twitter: https://mobile.x.com/vpeterssonStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

EPISODE 5In this episode of Founder Mode, Jason and Kevin sit down with Andreas Homer—startup founder, former BD leader at Microsoft, and now Head of Product Partnerships at Shopify—to explore the underrated superpower of asking. They unpack how a single well-phrased request can unlock jobs, capital, and high-leverage relationships. Andreas shares how he’s built a career by asking with clarity, fairness, and authenticity—whether it's securing investor intros, landing competitive roles, or hiring top-tier talent. The episode also dives into how to ask differently depending on your audience—investors, users, or team members—and why being yourself beats mimicking someone else’s style. The key lesson: Asking isn’t about pressure or persuasion—it’s about being clear, human, and real.CHAPTERS0:00 — Why Asking Is a Founder Superpower5:18 — How Andreas Landed Jobs by Asking the Right Way11:02 — Fundraising: Clarity, Conviction & Handling Rejection18:05 — Hiring: Framing Startups as Growth Opportunities26:11 — Final Takeaway: Ask AuthenticallyLINKSConnect with AndreasPersonal Site • LinkedInStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter

Episode 4: In this episode of Founder Mode, Jason and Kevin kick things off with an unexpected Bill Russell story—revealing how the legendary NBA center threw up before every single game, including the easiest matchups. It becomes a perfect parallel for founders grappling with anxieties that simply won’t go away. They argue that anxiety, if handled properly, can be the secret sauce of drive and resilience. Special guest Slobodan “Sani” Manic, host of the No Hacks podcast and founder of PodPacer, discusses turning nerves into productive energy, the importance of building culture with real integrity (no shortcuts!), and why data should inform but never completely override your gut. They wrap by emphasizing old-school personal values in a world of AI-driven quick fixes—reminding us that nothing beats honesty and consistent effort when building a sustainable, founder-led venture.CHAPTERS0:00 — Bill Russell & The Anxiety Factor0:35 — Episode Intro: Anxiety as a Founder’s Superpower1:08 — Overcoming Founder Anxiety & People Challenges7:21 — Interview with Slobodan (No Hacks, PodPacer)25:45 — Recap & Closing ThoughtsLINKSCheck Out SlobodanNo Hacks Podcast • PodPacer • LinkedInStay Connected with Founder ModeSubscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.comConnect with KevinLinkedIn • X/TwitterConnect with JasonLinkedIn • X/Twitter