Build In Public Podcast Karthik Puvvada (KP)

Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Tharshan Thavaharan who leads Partnerships at Paddle, a fintech company last valued at $1.4b where I also work now.
In 2023, he started the AI Launchpad, a global founder program at Paddle which attracted 59 AI startups from 21 countries and in 6 weeks helped them accelerate their journey to find product-market fit, reach target audiences, and establish a financial base for scaling. Now he's passing the captain's armband to me and I'll be running this year's cohort. Applications open now, check out our site: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad In this episode, Tharshan and I discuss the behind-the-scenes story of winding down my previous edtech startup (BIPF),  how I ended up at Paddle,  what lessons Tharshan learned by running the AI accelerator, the types of companies who were part of it, the big focus for 2024 for us and more.
Relevant links:AI Launchpad website: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpad Tharshan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tharshant/KP on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthikpuvvada/
Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.

Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Ariel Renous, co-founder and CEO of Augment.org.  
Augment is a modern online alternative to the traditional MBA program. Augment's approach is to reshape education by leveraging online tools to offer high-quality business knowledge straight from the minds of the brightest business leaders. Partnering with experts in business education and world-class entrepreneurs from companies like Wikipedia, YouTube, Waze, and Shazam, they crafted an innovative MBA program. The fast-growing startup based out of Paris raised a $6 million funding round from top tier investors in 2023.
In this episode, Ariel and KP discuss the founding story of Augment, the evolution of business education over the years, the power of cold emailing influential people in Silicon Valley, lessons from building in public and more. 

The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are: 00:00  Introduction03:09  Origin Story of Augment08:35  Cold Emailing Everyone in Silicon Valley12:20  The Power of Mission and Storytelling29:45  The Upside of Building in Public30:04  Lessons from Fundraising33:07  Building Augment36:14  Non-Zero Sum Game39:45  Finding the Right Idea45:09  Challenges Before Starting Augment52:04  Building a Team and Managing Challenges
Relevant links:Ariel's handle on X: https://twitter.com/ArielRenousAugment's website: https://augment.org/ KP handle on X: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP
Past guests on the Build In Public podcast include Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media), Sahil Lavingia (CEO of Gumroad), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Gina Bianchini (CEO of Mighty Networks), Adam Draper (MD of BoostVC), Arvid Kahl (Author of Zero To Sold), Tiago Forte (author of Building A Second Brain), Mariam Hakobyan (CEO of Softr), Kat Cole (COO of Athletic Greens) and more.
Other episodes you might enjoy: 
Episode 4 with Gary VaynerchukEpisode with Alexis Ohanian (Co-Founder of Reddit and 776 Fund)The Must-Have Qualities For You To Become A Successful Entrepreneur (feat. Sheel MohnotEpisode 10 with Kat ColeLife After One Of India's Biggest Startup Exits (feat. Phanindra Sama)

Welcome to 2024's 1st episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode features Jason Cohen, four-time entrepreneur across 24 years who has built both bootstrapped and VC-funded businesses in his career. He had two exits and two unicorns and has been writing for 17 years on the Internet. You may have seen him on X as @asmartbear or read one of his articles at this blog: asmartbear.com
Jason is currently the Chief Innovation Officer of WP Engine which is a startup unicorn that he started in 2010. The company raised over $300m in funding, has over 1,200 employees globally and serves billions of web requests daily for 200,000 customers as one of the top-ten largest web platforms in the world. 
In this episode, Jason and KP discuss the significance of passion, the role of writing in personal growth, and the story behind Jason's beef with the term "MVP" in startups :) The conversation touches on challenges entrepreneurs face, the difference between missionaries and mercenaries in business, and strategies for finding great startup ideas.

The list of topics covered and relevant timestamps are:
00:00 Intro05:26 Jason's Writing Routine08:34 Redefining Product Development: From MVP to SLC23:25 The Power of Being Mission-Driven in Building a Company27:48 Finding Great Startup Ideas30:48 How to Select Between Multiple Business Ideas Effectively40:48 Finding the Perfect Work Companion: Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses in Hiring41:38 Tips for Maximizing Productivity and Authentic Engagement on Twitter51:38 Wrap-Up
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.
Note: If you loved the conversation or had questions/comments to share, please post on X or DM me directly :) Always hungry for feedback. Thank you!
Links:Jason's handle on X: https://twitter.com/asmartbear Jason's blog:  https://longform.asmartbear.com/KP handle on X: 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 Gale Wilkinson, founder and Managing Partner at VITALIZE, a seed fund and angel community investing in transformative WorkTech software and currently deploying capital out of a $23.4M Fund II and their 500+ member angel community.
Previously founded IrishAngels, one of the largest angel groups in the world. Gale has led $70M+ in early-stage deals across 125+ portfolio companies, and she has made 50 personal angel investments.
In this interview, Gale and KP delve into all-things VC and share their insights on topics such as:
00:00 Intro03:02 The Work Tech Thesis04:53 The Kauffman Fellowship Experience05:47 Traits of a Great Investor07:26 The Shift in the Venture Landscape08:54 The Future of Venture Capital09:46 Investment Strategy and Criteria11:38 Lessons Learned from Fundraising13:04 Choosing the Right Problem to Solve18:32 The Discrepancy in Funding for Underrepresented Groups25:28 Advice for Founders34:53 Focus for the Future
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 on this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:Gale on X: https://twitter.com/galeforceVCVITALIZE on X: https://twitter.com/VitalizeVCVITALIZE Venture Capital: https://www.vitalize.vc/KP on X: 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 Jess Chan, founder of Backbone, a platform designed to streamline email marketing for small eCommerce teams. She is one of the top retention marketing experts, with expertise in retention marketing through email and SMS.
She previously founded Longplay Brands, a full-service retention & lifecycle marketing agency for DTC e-commerce brands. Jess bootstrapped the agency scaling to 7-figures in revenue in the first 18 months.
In this interview, Jess and KP discuss various topics related to entrepreneurship and e-commerce such as:
00:00 Intro02:18 Inflection Points and Drive to be an Entrepreneur05:22 Transition from CMO to Entrepreneur06:49 De-risking the Decision to Become an Entrepreneur09:18 The Pressure to Succeed and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking11:00 The Value of Failure and Learning from Mistakes12:19 The Perception of Risk in Entrepreneurship15:16 The Emotional Experience of Being an Entrepreneur17:12 The Importance of Long-Term Growth and Avoiding Short-Term Thinking19:20 Building Strong Foundations for Long-Term Success21:21 The Journey from Agency to Product Business24:21 Discovering the Opportunity for Backbone28:21 The Emotional Intensity of Running an Agency30:39 Appreciating the Malleability of Service-Based Businesses34:41 The Slow Compounding of Software Businesses35:56 The Role of Agencies and Services in Cash Flow36:23 Optimizing for Exit vs. Agency Model42:02 Retention Marketing Strategies46:33 Mistakes in Email Marketing48:27 Building a Strong Foundation for Business51:50 Ideal E-commerce Business to Purchase55:05 Rapid Fire Round
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 on this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:Jess on X: https://twitter.com/jjesschan
Longplay Brands: https://www.longplaybrands.com/
Backbone: https://www.gobackbone.co/KP on X: 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 Michael Girdley, CEO of a $100m/yr holding company and a serial entrepreneur for 20 companies over 30 years in San Antonio. Michael is also a partner at the Geekdom Fund, a seed-stage tech venture capital fund that has invested in over 50 high-growth tech companies. He has also built a 195k+ Twitter following and a newsletter with over 20k readers. Now he enjoys teaching and helping founders online and created The Complete HoldCo Course
In this interview, Michael and KP go through a series of interesting topics such as:●     (00:00) Intro●     (04:11) How Michael got into entrepreneurship●     (05:43) Being a geek and its definition●     (08:33) Web programming with Java - first book Michael wrote●     (11:11) How it felt after writing a book●     (12:31) Michael as compared to a young Bill Gates●     (13:52) Working hard vs Doing what you love●     (14:58) Maintaining great output simultaneously●     (17:29) Going all in on one company●     (19:21) Michael’s experiences and lessons from Silicon Valley●     (21:39) Community as a necessity for founders●     (24:29) Michael’s favorite business heroes●     (27:19) Looking back through decisions and regrets●     (29:11) Advice to his 18 year old self●     (32:11) Rapid Fire Round with Michael Girdley
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 about this episode. Thanks for listening!
Links:Michael on X: https://twitter.com/girdleyMichael’s website: https://girdley.com/
Michael’s Holdco course: https://holdco.girdley.com/KP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisiskp_ KP's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarthikPuvvadaKP