Episodes

In this captivating episode of Funds and Founders, Nikhil, CTO and co-founder of Hylio, shares the inspiring journey of building an innovative drone company. From their initial focus on drone delivery to pivoting into agricultural applications, Nikhil reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating cutting-edge drone technology. Tune in to discover: - The evolution of Hylio from a drone delivery concept to a leader in agricultural drone solutions - Overcoming technical and regulatory hurdles i...

In the latest episode of Funds and Founders, Jessi, founder of Downland, reveals how agrotourism and regenerative agriculture could revolutionize land management and food production. Discover how matching landowners with next-generation land stewards can restore landscapes and create sustainable business models. Tune in to explore: - The journey of building an AgTech startup from scratch - How to leverage your unique strengths and network in entrepreneurship - The crucial balance between mis...

Simran Singh narrates his entrepreneurial journey from his college days at Duke University to co-founding Zogo, a financial education platform which was eventually acquired by Peak Six. He elaborates on the challenges of early-stage startups, the pivoting of Zogo, and decision-making processes related to product development and market targeting. Simran also introduces his new venture, SwayStack, while providing valuable insights on growth, partnerships, and maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset...

Having been with SXSW for 35 years, Hugh Forrest, the Chief Programming Officer and Director of the Interactive Section of South by Southwest (SXSW), shares the origins and growth of Austin's largest conference and festival. He discusses the event's roots in 1987, modeled after the New Music Seminar in New York City, and its evolution into a major cultural and tech convergence. Hugh recounts the challenges faced in the early years, the festival's impact on Austin's ecosystem, pivotal moments lik...

Vikas is an experienced entrepreneur, advisor and the Managing Director of Frisco Analytics. In this conversation, he discusses the importance of selecting good advisors and how he identified gaps in the tech consulting space to grow his successful company later acquired by Huron. Vikas gives insights on how to build the right team, and sales strategies, navigate acquisitions and foster the right team culture. Finally, he shares his experiences with acquisition processes, incentive structures in...

Vinay Chandrasekaran, founder of Frontek Solutions, Crayon’d, and Layerpath, shares his fascinating journey from learning HTML as a teenager in India to becoming the CEO of a successful SaaS company. Vinay delves into his entrepreneurial motivations, experiences at Zoho, and the essential role of community, mentorship, and resilience. He also discusses raising venture capital and emphasizes the importance of energy, passion, and mindset. Additionally, Vinay reflects on how his endurance sports e...

Alberto Silveira is a seasoned engineering leader with a diverse career spanning companies like IBM, Kaplan, Amplify, OnDeck, and currently, HireVue. He is also the author of the book, Building and Managing High Performance Distributed Teams. Alberto discusses the differences between leading small and large engineering teams, the importance of creating a positive engineering culture, and the nuances of hands-on leadership. He also shares his passion for distributed teams, the challenges of scali...

Aaron Trahan, founder of Performance Mindset Coaching, discusses the fundamental differences between a coach and a mentor. Aaron shares his journey to becoming a coach, emphasizing the importance of having a coach for achieving personal and professional breakthroughs. The conversation delves into identifying signals for needing a coach, finding the right coach, and getting the most out of the coaching relationship. Aaron also highlights the value of structured systems like OKRs for setting and a...

YJ Lin is a key player in the Austin startup ecosystem. He graduated from the University of Houston and is deeply involved with communities like Ascend Austin and the Executive Council Network. Currently, he is the Chief Fun Officer of York's Game Pieces, and Senior Program Manager at Dell for Startups. Over the past decade, YJ has orchestrated city-wide events across North America through nonprofit and corporate entities, focusing on uniting community leaders to build stronger, sustainable ecos...

Jeff Eversmann is an experienced design engineer, fractional CFO at Miranti Growth, and GP at Longview Tech Ventures. Drawing from his career across various high-level roles, Jeff explains the continuum from product market match to alignment and finally to fit. He discusses examples, especially Uber's market strategy, and elaborates on how early-stage founders should approach achieving and measuring product market fit. He shares insights into venture capital dynamics, emphasizing the importance ...

Ben James and Dylan Mankey from Tubular Networks discuss their journey from their initial meeting at HomeAway to co-founding Tubular Networks. Ben shares his extensive background in product management, having worked at companies such as National Instruments, VRBO, and Magic Leap, while Dylan talks about his engineering leadership roles with experience at companies like Expedia, HomeAway, and MapMyFitness. The conversation delves into how they decided to partner up, overcoming co-founder conflict...

Mark Fallows is a seasoned advertising professional and founder of Fabrica Collective. He is also a creative collective based in New York, now operating from Austin. Mark shares his early career journey in advertising, including his roles at Oracle and McCann, and his motivation behind founding Fabrica Collective. He emphasizes the importance of lifelong skill development, drawing on Michelangelo’s philosophy of never stopping learning. Mark delves into current learning pursuits such as AI's exp...

Stacey Stubblefield is a former entrepreneur in residence at Curious Minds Inc, who co-founded TeleSign, a company born out of the incubator. Stacey shares her unconventional journey from considering law school to embracing technology and entrepreneurship, leading to the creation and eventual acquisition of TeleSign by BICS. Stacey discusses the challenges and milestones of growing TeleSign, from early idea testing to hitting significant revenue milestones and navigating the complexities of sell...

Sky King shares his journey from being a digital marketing specialist to founding his own company, Modern Stoa. King discusses his early career, his experiences with companies like Onnit and Aubrey Marcus, and his transition into the podcasting world with creations like 'Creator of Curiosity' and 'Sky King's Mental Playground.' He dives into the importance of media incentives aligning with societal benefits, leveraging capitalism for change, and his observations on the media's evolving landscape...

Soundarya Balasubramani, an NIT Trichy and Columbia graduate, writer, and founder of Unshackled.club, details her journey from India to the U.S. Her career shifts from Salesforce to entrepreneurship, and even ventures into writing, including her blog Curious Maverick and books 'Admitted' and 'Unshackled'. The discussion spans her motivations, the importance of writing in her professional growth, insights into self-publishing, navigating U.S. immigration, and her latest decision to step back from...

Chris De Ayala, a UT McComb School of Business graduate working in banking, specifically in venture debt at the Bank of California shares insights into the role of venture lending, emphasizing its value to VC-backed startups by offering non-dilutive capital to extend their runway post-equity rounds. He details the ideal timing for startups to seek venture debt, the factors influencing the amount of debt a startup can secure, and the importance of the relationship with VC firms in this process. T...

Jake O'Shea, currently a Principal at Antler in Austin, delves into his rich background in the startup ecosystem. With experiences ranging from director roles at Capital Factory to mentoring at accelerators, Jake discusses the vibrant startup ideas and trends in Austin, emphasizing the ubiquitous role of AI in modern software development. He sheds light on Antler's industry-agnostic approach to investing, focusing on founder potential over specific sectors. Jake also touches upon the critical im...

In episode 15, Mike Ditson joins us today to talk product management, sales, and innovation! Currently, Mike is the VP of Product Strategy at Envato Group and a lecturer in product management. He shares valuable insights on the importance of sales for product leaders, how to approach building a competent sales team, especially for founders without a sales background (identifying well that we’re all in sales) and provides advice for early-stage companies and product market fit. Moreover, Mike dis...

Episode 14 features Ken Platt, an experienced entrepreneur and advisor with a rich history in operations, supply chain management, and startup leadership. Ken shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey that began later in life, sparked by his exposure to diverse businesses during the Y2K project era. He details his evolution from corporate projects to being deeply involved in the startup ecosystem during the dot-com bubble in Austin. Ken discusses the thrills and challenges of startup life...

Scott, a seasoned C-level executive, draws from a diverse background in business leadership and organizational transformation. Originally aspiring to a career in finance, his trajectory shifted after witnessing the events of September 11th, leading him to navigate a path of resilience and mentorship. With a strategic vision and executive acumen, Scott excels in driving organizational growth and fostering team excellence, leveraging deep subject matter expertise and creative problem-solving. Thro...

Lauren Pearl is a Fractional CFO/COO and Advisor who graduated from Boston University and NYU Stern where she did her MBA. She has a rich background in financial modeling and has a unique perspective on growing profitable startups. She is a 2x founder and recently started Pearl and Elmore, an offsite programming company. She was the Director of Strategy and Finance at Trail and Bits, CEO and co-founder of Roost Homes, an ex-Deloitte Management Consultant, and currently teaches financial modeling...

Curtis Dean is the founder and creative director for Strangers Only, a lifestyle clothing brand and is also a coach helping people maximize their potential and design the lives they want. He is a positive thinker with a unique perspective on life. He has spoken at Soho houses and shared his deep knowledge on various topics. Key Takeaways: Identifying rewarding opportunities within your ecosystem Building a reputation that speaks for itself in the marketplace Importance of MVP (minimum viable ...

Steven Puri is a multipreneur who launched his career in the film industry and is also the founder of Sukha Company, previously known as Centred. He started Centropolis Effects. a CGI company then exited and has held multiple senior roles in big film companies like 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks. He is a chief strategist and has supported various startups and other companies. Key Takeaways: Adapting the office concept to the hybrid world through an app Why filling the gaps with smarter minds ...

Daniella Rosa is the founder of Aiea Golf, an athleisure lifestyle brand for women golfers. She also was the owner and designer of cutclothing.com. Daniella has held various marketing roles in her career in the auction industry. As she hit the ceiling in her career she made an instant decision to switch and start a brand and this has been a great learning experience that she shares in this episode. She shares how to upskill through experiential learning, leveraging your knowledge to secure break...