Feeling overwhelmed with tech developments happening around the globe? Don’t worry! Tech insiders, Emil Michael, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here to break through the noise and provide a deep-dive on the most important topics from the last week. Together they discuss: Princess Kate Photo Controversy: The insiders react to the fallout from a manipulated photo of Princess Kate, sparking discussions about the challenges of trusting AI-altered images in today's digital landscape. ...

Startups cannot survive without a runway… Unless they’ve reached escape velocity. Haven’t reached takeoff? Wondering how you keep your startup on track? Chris and Yaniv are here to help you through the tough times Together they discuss: Runway refers to how long a startup can operate with its current resources before shutting down. It depends on cash, burn rate, and other factors like loss of interest or personal commitments.  Becoming cash flow positive is not the same as becoming...

The insiders are back and just in time - tech news this week has been MASSIVE! Together they discuss: Figure AI Funding: Discover how Figure AI secured a staggering $675M investment to advance humanoid robot technology from the biggest names in AI (Google, NVIDIA and more!) , despite uncertainties about mass production. Elon Musk vs. OpenAI: The team unravel the legal battle as Elon Musk sues OpenAI, raising questions about the transition from non-profit to for-profit and ethical...

Leverage. It’s a powerful ally in a startup founder’s itinerary to success. But how can you harness it in your day-to-day life? This week Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here to walk you through how you can master leverage to supercharge your startup! Together they discuss: Software & Automation: Explore how tech companies harness low-cost replication and distribution for exponential success. Financial Leverage: Delve into the impact of venture capital and debt, enabling...

Edu: Founder Time Management - Take Back Control w/ Henry Shapiro Time. It's a founder’s greatest resource. It’s also a founder’s scarcest. Joining Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein this week on The Startup Podcast to help you take back control of your time is Henry Shapiro. Henry is the co-founder and COO of Reclaim AI, a company specializing in creating solutions to enhance productivity. Henry's expertise lies in creating systems and strategies for effective time management, making him a...

Emil is out this week from the Insider trio so Yaniv and Chris welcome special guest Alireza Ali to discuss the hottest developments in the tech industry this week. Ali is currently the co-founder and partner at Blue Dot who specializes in AI strategy and implementation consulting services. He previous founded another AI startup and has worked at Google for 11 years, some of which as a Tech Lead. Together, this week’s trio discusses: 🌌OpenAI's Sora   🧠Groq's AI chip  💥Gemini's...

Founders are the linchpin of a startup. They are the central foci, the lifeblood. The buck stops with them. But how can you tell the difference between a good and a bad founder? And how can you avoid being a bad one? Don’t worry, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here this week to discuss 9 differences between good and bad founders, based on a recent article Chris wrote. The differences are: 🔍 Good founders focus on solving important problems for customers while bad founders mainly...

Today we have a special bonus interview. The tables have turned and Yaniv finds himself being interviewed by Ben Wirtz. Together the duo discuss:  🚀 Early Leadership Lessons: Yaniv's Google journey began with an early leadership role, emphasizing efficiency and effective communication. 🎓 Inspiration from Mentors: Insights from Oliver Heckman instilled high standards and fostered a culture of psychological safety, nurturing Bernstein's leadership skills. 💡 Innovative Problem-Solving:...

$7 TRILLION!?! It’s the number everyone has been talking about this week.  Here to break down the latest tech news are the insiders: Emil Michael, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein. This week they discuss: 💰💡🤔Sam Altman's Ambitious Bid: Rumors swirl around Altman's purported $7 trillion funding quest for a new AI chip company, sparking debates on its feasibility and strategic implications. 🚀💻🏆NVIDIA's Dominance: With NVIDIA's AI chip dominance in mind, Altman's move is seen as a potential...

Hybrid work. One of the biggest points of contention in the tech startup landscape right now. Some startups seem to thrive with the arrangement while others suffer culture implosion and perish. Navigating the post-COVID work landscape involves grappling with the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work setups.  Don’t worry, this week, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here to discuss what you need to know to allow your team to flourish no matter the circumstance: 🤝💼🚗In-person Work:...

Should Congress apologize to Mark Zuckerberg? If you haven’t been living under a rock recently, major tech company CEOs have been hauled into Congress to discuss child safety and moderation on their platforms. What does it mean?  Is Congress right to really drill down on these CEOs? What else could Congress be doing to really change the current climate to protect our kids while also protecting democracy and free speech? To debate the hottest topic in tech this week is Emil Michael, Chris...

Startup founders are often preached to follow neat frameworks and one-size fits all prescriptions. Here to say “embrace the mess” is John Cutler. John is a well-respected thought leader in the startup world. He is currently the Senior director responsible for product enablement at Toast. John has previously held the position of product evangelist at Amplitude and numerous product management roles over his fascinating career arc. Most importantly, John is the author of the long running...

Taylor Swift on a startup podcast? It’s not for her ERAS tour, nor is it for the Kansas City Chiefs upcoming Super Bowl game. Listen to the insiders discuss the biggest developing stories this week: 🚀 Navigating the Volatile Fundraising Landscape: A challenging fundraising environment in 2023 post-tech bubble burst, characterized by high rates and volatility. Optimism surfaces in 2024, but with caution—expectations of smaller valuations and round sizes. Founders urged to...

There’s a fair bit of sentiment in the startup community at the moment purporting that B2B2C is better. Chris believes it is not. Joining Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein on The Startup Podcast to discuss their startup as a case-study is special guest Matt Holme, CEO and Founder of YouPay. YouPay is an ecommerce payment platform that pivoted from B2B to B2C over its lifetime. Together they discuss: 🚀 YouPay's Evolution: Starting as a B2B platform facilitating payment for others' shopping...

The insiders are back this week to discuss the hottest topics coming out of the tech and startup ecosystems. This week Emil, Chris and Yaniv discuss: 🔍 Carta's Controversial Pivot: Carta halts its secondary business sharing private company data with investors following backlash. The hosts dissect the situation, critiquing Carta's response and exploring potential alternatives. 💹 Cryptocurrency ETF Impact: Bitcoin experiences a minor dip post-ETF announcement, aligning with predictions....

🤔Should founders care about building a personal brand? Isn’t there enough “real work” to be done that posting on LinkedIn is a total waste of time? We don’t think so and neither does Michael Houck, a founder and investor who has built his personal brand to create Houck’s Newsletter, which is read by 75,000+ founders every week. Prior to focusing on his newsletter, Houck founded a startup that raised $15M from a16z, co-founded an early stage venture firm, and was part of the early team at...

It’s one of the first questions people ask when they hear of startups. What makes startups different from usual businesses? Recently Chris found himself in a debate about the differences between traditional businesses and startups.  As a result he created a document and shared it with his followers about the similarities and differences. Fortunately, this week on The Startup Podcast he and Yaniv debate the commonalities, differences and how startups drive disruption. Together they...

The Insiders are back for 2024 and hasn’t it been a big week of controversy in the tech world! Here to break it all down is Emil, Chris and Yaniv. This week they discuss: 🔍 Carta's Privacy Clash: Carta, a software company, faces allegations of privacy breaches, using customer data for a secondary business. The CEO's response sparks criticism, highlighting the conflict between Carta's ventures and customer interests. 🧠 AI and Copyright Dilemma: The trio explores the tension between AI...

Welcome to our first episode of 2024. We’re excited to be back and be sharing such a riveting episode to kick off the year! Today we have the pleasure of welcoming special guest, unicorn founder and CEO of Mercury, Immad Akhund. Mercury offers banking and credit cards for ambitious companies and was founded in 2017. With Chris and Yaniv, Immad shares his insights from scaling after finding product-market fit and how the journey has brought diverse challenges. In particular they...

This week we are sharing another one of our most popular episode of 2023 featuring Nir Zavaro. The lessons contained in this episode are so important to refresh with in 2024.   We’re all storytellers. It’s the way we first begin to learn and it's the way we have communicated important information for thousands of years. However, it is the skill we practice the least. As startup operators, if you were a better storyteller imagine what you could accomplish. You would be able to engross and...

We’re back this week with one of our most popular episodes of 2023, featuring April Dunford. Product positioning will make or break your startup. Go toe-to-toe with multinational trillion-dollar behemoths and the likelihood of success is minute. Restructure your approach to target a different group and you can one-day “dab [your] tears with the money”. Researched ways on how to develop your product position and still feel stuck? Don’t fret! Yaniv and Chris are back this week with a super...

2023 is winding down. You’re no doubt preparing and strategizing for 2024. You’ve listened to our recent episode on being more efficient in 2024 but now you’re at the pointy end - making the tough decisions on what to focus on. Feeling stuck? Not sure which way to turn? Don’t worry, Chris and Yaniv are here to end your decision paralysis!  In this episode they cover:   🔍 Decoding Decision Challenges: Chris and Yaniv explore the complexities of decision making in the startup world,...

Google caught faking?  Is the economy back? Are US colleges anti-Semitic? There’s been some major developments in the tech ecosystem this week. Don’t worry! Emil, Chris and Yaniv are here to unpack it all including: 🤖 Google's AI Deception: The team delve into Google's Gemini, an AI model that initially wowed with live commentary on videos but later revealed an unexpected twist—AI responses stitched together from still images, raising questions about transparency and progress. ⚖️ Google's...

This episode is the MOST IMPORTANT podcast episode you will listen to in December. Contrary to popular opinion, saving money DOES NOT mean sacrificing progress. Planning your attack for 2024? Chris and Yaniv are here to dispel the myths and strategise for maximum output while minimizing costs in the latest episode of The Startup Podcast. Together they discuss: 🎯 Clarifying Company Strategy: Define a clear and focused strategy to guide your company's mission. Learn how to trim costs...

What did Elon say? Leading the Silicon Valley chatter this week are comments Elon Musk made during an interview with Andrew Sorkin. Emil, Chris and Yaniv break it down and the flow-on effects on paid social networks while also exploring: 🚀 Elon Unleashed: Emil, Chris and Yaniv discuss Elon Musk's unfiltered behavior, especially on Twitter. They also explore how his lack of self-censorship and tendency to "troll" impacts his vision of an open platform and its perception. 🔋 EV Demand Dip:...