Founders in Arms

Noah Glass, founder and former CEO of Olo, shares his inspiring journey from a startup in 2005 to a public company by 2021. He discusses the extreme patience required in the first decade and how the mantra 'embrace the suck' shaped company culture. Noah reveals the pivotal shift from B2C to B2B that turned losses into profits, and explains how adding delivery services unlocked major growth. He reflects on the importance of industry advisors, the benefits of partnering with Thoma Bravo, and critiques the current trend of homegrown tech stacks.

Parag Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of Parallel and former Twitter chief, dives into the transformative potential of AI agents reshaping the web. He discusses how agents will dominate web interactions, making human-focused designs obsolete. Parag outlines Parallel's innovative APIs that enable these agents to efficiently fetch and monitor vast amounts of data. He also addresses the evolving business models needed to support content creators in this new landscape and offers insights on navigating fundraising and the AI market's future.

Nicholas Rudder, co-founder and CEO of Sphere, discusses his journey from a failed EdTech startup to raising $21M in Series A funding for his AI-driven cross-border compliance platform. He shares insights on validating demand using a Figma prototype, navigating the complexities of international tax, and the emotional challenges of losing a co-founder. Nicholas also emphasizes the significance of hiring an internal recruiter post-funding and compares the startup ecosystems of San Francisco, the UK, and Australia.

Sumir Meghani, Founder and CEO of Instawork, shares insights on revolutionizing the hourly labor market by creating a LinkedIn-like profile system for millions of workers. He discusses the pressing global issue of hourly worker shortages and high turnover rates in hospitality, emphasizing how AI can streamline onboarding. Sumir introduces the concept of 'robot wranglers' as new labor roles, exploring how human workers can train physical AI to boost efficiency. He reflects on the undervaluing of hourly work in Silicon Valley and the joys of creating job opportunities.

Eric Migicovsky, founder of the iconic Pebble smartwatch and Core Devices, shares his journey from Kickstarter success to industry challenges. He discusses the thrilling launch of Pebble, raising $600K in just one day. Eric reflects on his sustainable approach to hardware, targeting profitability without heavy inventory. He reveals how his Beeper Mini challenged Apple's monopoly, leading to antitrust scrutiny. Lastly, he chats about the revolutionary move of Google open-sourcing Pebble's OS, empowering his new venture.

Iqram Magdon-Ismail, co-founder of Venmo and founder of Jelly, explores the evolution of payment technologies and the need for genuine social connections. He shares the quirky origin of Venmo from a forgotten wallet and reveals the nail-biting moments when Wells Fargo threatened to shut them down. Iqram critiques modern startups for being too polished and metrics-driven, and discusses Jelly's mission to bring authenticity back to social media using video and crypto. He also reflects on the unique mindset immigrant founders bring to innovation.

Immad and Raj delve into the evolving landscape of AI regulation and the disconnect between policymakers and market realities. They debate potential bubbles in AI, stressing that retention is more crucial than growth for sustainable success. Founders are encouraged to be cautious with high valuations and spending discipline. They share insights on building company culture and the challenges of managing inflated metrics. With updates on their ventures, including AI features for better retention, this conversation is a must-listen for any entrepreneur.

Dan Wang is a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institute and author of "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future." After spending six years living in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai (2017-2023), Dan witnessed China's technology growth, the US-China trade and tech war, Xi Jinping's increasing authoritarianism, and three years of zero-COVID pandemic controls firsthand.What you'll learn:Dan's framework of "engineering societies vs lawyerly societies" for understanding the US-China competitionHow China deliberately promoted engineers to power—by 2002, all nine Politburo Standing Committee members had engineering degreesWhy the one-child policy and zero-COVID demonstrate the dangers of literal-minded engineering applied to societyHow America transformed from building the transcontinental railroad and Apollo missions to being unable to fix its subway systemsWhy lawyers took over American governance in the 1960s and created a self-reinforcing systemThe stark reality: China builds 500 gigawatts of solar capacity annually vs America's 50, and has 30 nuclear plants under construction vs zeroWhy China's electricity advantage could determine who wins the AI race—not just better modelsHow American AI leadership is threatened by power constraints and Chinese researchers potentially returning homeWhy robotics applications of AI matter more than reasoning models for geopolitical competitionThe dual reality of America: trillion-dollar tech companies exist alongside broken infrastructure that only works for the wealthyDan's writing process: traveling, eating (twice), reading novels and history, and being deliberately provocativeThe future of US-China competition in semiconductors, aviation, manufacturing, and whether America's technological lead is sustainableIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction and Dan's AI/electricity thesis(01:15) Dan's journey from San Francisco tech to China analyst(03:40) Engineering society vs lawyerly society framework(04:21) Why engineers running governments can be dangerous(05:46) The one-child policy: designed by a missile scientist(06:56) China's path from Mao to engineering-focused leadership(09:51) America's transformation from builder to regulator (1960s shift)(11:08) Can the pendulum swing back? Housing, transit, and infrastructure failures(13:12) The self-reinforcing nature of lawyerly societies(14:12) Yale Law ambition vs Stanford engineering ambition(16:13) Is there bipartisan consensus on building?(17:41) Why left and right can't agree on solutions(19:32) China's engineering design flaws and authoritarian feedback loops(22:19) US technological advantages: semiconductors, AI, aviation(23:07) The electricity bottleneck: China's massive power advantage(24:31) If AI is everything, what should America do?(26:29) Why Dan doesn't buy the "AI is everything" premise(27:27) Robotics as the real AI battleground(29:35) Silicon Valley codes, China builds power plants(30:37) Anti-AI populism emerging on left and right(33:41) Dan's meta process: philosophy, eating, traveling, reading, being provocative(37:20) China's rural infrastructure and redistribution through building(40:39) Peter Thiel question: acknowledging China's dual reality(44:54) America's core tension: works great for the rich, broken for everyone else(46:35) Will China get stuck in the 2010s like Japan in the 1980s?

Iñaki Berenguer, a serial entrepreneur with exits like CoverWallet and Pixable, shares insights from his dynamic career. He delves into the intense demands of rapid growth and how he'd rebuild his company with AI to minimize headcount. Iñaki stresses the importance of strategic partnerships for exits and describes the hidden time sink of hiring as a CEO. He also reflects on the ever-changing landscape of AI and its impact on various industries, highlighting the balance between luck and timing in achieving successful exits.

Andrew D'Souza, Founder and CEO of Boardy AI, dives into transforming networking with voice-driven high-trust introductions. He shares how Clearco’s pivot to e-commerce financing led to rapid growth and illustrates the psychology behind networking and financial incentives. Discover how Boardy uses AI for richer relationship building, the importance of allowing mutual willingness in introductions, and why savvy founders leverage inbound demand to attract investors. D'Souza also reveals lessons learned from trusting intuition and his vision for the future of AI in networking.