Build In Public Podcast Karthik Puvvada (KP)

Welcome to yet another episode of the Build In Public Podcast! 🎉
Today's episode was live recorded in Austin where I interviewed Jason Cohen at the SaaStock conference in May 2024.  Jason Cohen is a 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 I discuss why "strategy" matters, how it is the key driver to help you win at every stage as a startup, how to get your team rallied around this, what signs tell you it's working vs it's not and Jason's advice on evaluating feedback coming from multiple sources.
Relevant links:My Twitter: https://x.com/thisiskp_Jason's Twitter: https://x.com/asmartbearhttps://longform.asmartbear.com/jason-cohen 
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 is a fun one where the tables have turned and I got to be interviewed by my friend and a fellow podcaster Andrew Tsao. This episode was originally recorded in February 2024 and the publishing step got delayed due to other priorities until now (May 2024).
In this conversation, Andrew and I discuss the winding down story of my last startup "BIPF", my reflections and rationale behind the decision, founder lessons learned for the future, how my "build in public" efforts led to my new role at Paddle, my excitement for the AI Launchpad program and more.
Relevant links:Paddle's AI Launchpad: https://www.paddle.com/ai-launchpadMy Twitter: https://x.com/thisiskp_Andrew's Twitter: https://x.com/atsaotsao
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 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