Not Another Podcast

Infinity Constellation
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Hey, I’m Brennan Pothetes. I’ve raised millions, burned out hard, and learned that most startup advice is toxic BS. Hustle culture isn’t a superpower. It’s a fast track to burnout. So I’m starting Not Another Podcast. Each episode, I’m doing something fun, like building Legos or cooking spaghetti, while having raw, honest convos with founders. It’s part therapy, part teardown. All real talk. If you’re done with the hype and want sustainable success, this is for you.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Building in the Unsexy: How Bo Jiang Turned Payment Plumbing Into an $800M Business

    Most startup founders don't make it past year three. Bo Jiang is entering year twelve. As the CEO and co-founder of Lithic, Bo has lived what feels like two completely different startup journeys in one company. He launched Privacy.com in 2014 as a consumer app helping people create virtual credit cards for safer online shopping. After issuing over 10 million cards, he hit a wall… legacy payment infrastructure couldn't keep up. So Bo did something radical: he built his own modern card processor from scratch. Then he opened it up to other companies. That pivot transformed Lithic into an $800M developer platform powering card programs for Mercury, Novo, Parker, and dozens of other next-generation fintechs. Today, Lithic processes over $1 billion in annual transactions and has raised $110M+ from top investors like Bessemer, Index, and Tusk Ventures. But this conversation isn't about the hockey stick growth or the impressive valuation. It's about what it actually takes to survive and evolve as a founder over more than a decade. In this episode, Brennan and Bo go deep on: → The real story behind Lithic's pivot from B2C to B2B infrastructure (and how other startups literally reverse-engineered their API before they officially launched it) → Why Bo believes burnout doesn't come from working hard… it comes from the "messy middle" of trying to control things you can't control → How your role as a founder completely transforms as you scale from 3 people to 130+ (and the inflection point where your individual output stops mattering) → The mental game of fundraising: why most rejections have nothing to do with you, and how stress literally shows up in your investor Zoom calls → Building high-trust, high-context culture while scaling beyond the small team magic of the early days → Competing against billion-dollar giants like Marqeta, Stripe, and legacy processors when you're the smaller player → Why Bo stayed private and played the long game while everyone else was chasing quick exits during the 2021 fintech boom → What it means to be "comfortable with extended periods of uncertainty" – and why that might be the most important founder skill → The future of fintech infrastructure: stablecoins, AI agents, and whether physical cards will become relics Bo is an MIT-trained engineer who spent years building in the unsexy world of payment infrastructure while everyone else chased shiny objects like crypto and neobanks. Turns out, fixing the pipes is where the real, sustainable value lives. If you're a founder, builder, or anyone playing the long game, this conversation is for you. Episode Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - From Privacy.com to Lithic: building two startups in one decade 5:38 - Consumer vs. B2B 8:23 - How the CEO role changes as the company scales 15:07 - Raising capital without being an AI research lab 19:15 - Generalists vs. specialists 26:28 - Managing mental health & burnout over 12 years 36:43 - Choosing the right investors & advisors 43:06 - War stories: the fraud attack 51:58 - Where fintech infrastructure is headed in the next 5-10 years

    58 min

  2. 17 FEB

    Building for Humans in a World Obsessed with Data with Nathan Stoll

    Nathan Stoll helped build the modern internet. Literally. He was an early product manager at Google before the IPO. He worked on the systems that powered Google’s ad revenue. He helped scale Google News globally. He even launched Google Suggest: the autocomplete feature billions of people use every day. And yet… this conversation wasn’t really about tech. Nathan has built and sold two companies (to Google and Walmart), led product at places like Strava and Handshake, and advised founders for decades. But what he’s thinking about now is deeply counter-cultural in Silicon Valley: Why emotions, intuition, and human connection matter more than dashboards, models, and optimization. In this episode of Not Another Podcast, we go deep on the human side of building, the part most founders feel but rarely talk about. We talk about: • Why feelings often beat data when making the hardest decisions • How human networks compound faster than code • What elite athletics taught Nathan about burnout, pacing, and long-term performance • Why some of the best founders choose to be less public, not more • How AI is accelerating faster than our ability to emotionally process it • The difference between optimizing for conversion vs. optimizing for fulfillment • Why listening is still the most underrated leadership skill Nathan also shares deeply personal stories about mentorship, small acts of kindness that changed his life, parenting while building, and why being a “whole human” makes you a better founder. This is a conversation about building things that last without losing yourself in the process. 🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

    1h 15m

  3. 3 FEB

    What Founders Get Wrong About Attention, Press, and Power with Alex Konrad @ Upstarts

    After 12 years at Forbes, Alex Konrad walked away from one of the most prestigious seats in tech journalism. He ran the Midas List. Co-created the Cloud 100. Wrote cover stories on the biggest names in tech. And then he left… to build his own media company from scratch. In this episode, Alex joins me to talk about what happens when you go from covering founders to being one. We get honest about entrepreneurship, attention, media, and why so much of what we glorify in startup culture doesn’t line up with reality. This conversation isn’t about hype cycles or hot takes. It’s about the actual work. We talk about why the word “founder” is often over-romanticized, why running a small business deserves more respect than it gets, and why most people misunderstand how press, attention, and storytelling really work. Alex also breaks down what founders consistently get wrong when pitching media, why “nobody cares” is the correct starting assumption, and how to reverse-engineer coverage that actually leads to real outcomes. If you’re building something in public, thinking about your relationship with attention, or trying to create work that actually holds weight over time, this episode will reframe how you think about all of it. We cover:• Why entrepreneurship is wildly over-glamorized and what the job actually is• The difference between being a “startup founder” and running a real business• Why “nobody cares” is the most useful mindset for founders and creators• How to think about press strategically instead of emotionally• Why talking to Bloomberg vs an independent outlet leads to completely different outcomes• The real reason founders think journalists are “out to get them”• How AI and content slop are forcing a return to quality and trust• Why some of the best stories look boring right before they look obvious Listen to the full episode and let us know what resonated. And if you enjoyed this one, subscribe for more honest conversations about building, pressure, and the unsexy parts of doing meaningful work.

    1h 6m

  4. 27 JAN

    Why Smart Founders Still End Up Miserable, with Evan Walden

    Most founders spend years asking the wrong questions. “How fast can this grow? How big could this be? What’s the smartest next move?” But the questions that actually shape your life usually come much later… often after you’re already exhausted, anxious, or stuck on a path that doesn’t feel right anymore. In this episode of Not Another Podcast, Brennan sits down with Evan Walden, CEO and co-founder of Getro (recently acquired by Findem), for a grounded, deeply human conversation about what it really means to build something over the long term. Evan has spent nearly a decade building companies, mentoring founders, and watching smart, capable people quietly struggle. This isn’t because they weren’t talented, but because they never stopped to ask what they were actually trying to build for themselves. This episode explores: • Why companies don’t really die when they run out of money • The difference between keeping something alive through force and building something sustainable• How self-doubt shows up uniquely for entrepreneurs who are creating something from nothing•Why people-pleasing and external validation quietly sabotage founders• The hidden cost of hustle culture and seven-days-a-week thinking• Why taking time off is a signal of strength, not weakness• How values act as a decision-making system when everything feels ambiguous• The idea that every business starts as an art project and the moment when you have to decide what it’s becoming• How to zoom out and ask: Is this still the right thing for me to be working on? They also talk openly about mental health, therapy, leadership, culture, and the fear many founders carry that if they step away, everything will fall apart. This conversation isn’t about one “right” way to build. It’s about choosing a game you actually want to play and building something that fits who you are, not just who you think you’re supposed to be.

    1h 33m

  5. 20 JAN

    The Physical AI Revolution: Why Robots Will Matter More Than Chatbots with Anto Patrex

    Most of the AI world is obsessed with chatbots, agents, and software abstractions. Anto Patrex thinks that’s a distraction. Anto is the founder and CEO of CosmicBrain AI, a former NASA robotics engineer, and an early member of Elon Musk’s xAI team where he helped build Grok. In this episode of Not Another Podcast, Anto makes the case that the real AI revolution won’t live on your screen. It will walk, lift, build, and fight in the physical world. We’re talking humanoid robots today. In this episode, we talk about why Anto left one of the most coveted roles in AI to bet on humanoid robots, why “physical AI” is advancing faster than most people realize, and how his now-viral Robot Fight Club events ended up convincing skeptical investors and enterprise leaders that robots are far more capable than they thought. This conversation goes deep into the mechanics and implications of robotics: how robots learn by watching humans, why data and manufacturing matter more than flashy demos, and why China is currently ahead of the U.S. in the robotics race. We also unpack the long-term consequences for jobs, labor markets, national security, and why Anto believes optimism about technology is not naïve, but essential. If you’re curious where AI is actually headed next, this episode will stretch your imagination and reset your mental model. In this episode, we cover: • Why physical AI is a bigger opportunity than chatbots and agents• Anto’s journey from NASA → xAI → founding CosmicBrain• What Elon Musk taught him about constraints, speed, and belief• Why Robot Fight Club wasn’t a gimmick and actually accelerated adoption• The U.S. vs China robotics race and what’s at stake• Why robots won’t kill jobs, but will radically reshape them• How humanoid robots learn skills by watching humans• What the next 5–10 years of robotics could look like 🎙️ Listen now and rethink what “AI” actually means.

    53 min

  6. 13 JAN

    Why Building a Startup Will Expose Everything You Haven’t Dealt With

    Startup culture loves extremes. Grind harder. Sleep less. Push through. Don’t complain. And if you’re struggling, the assumption is simple: you’re not cut out for it. In this solo Q&A episode of Not Another Podcast, Brennan Pothetes flips that narrative on its head. After months of thoughtful DMs from founders, operators, and investors, Brennan sits down to answer the questions people usually whisper in private but rarely say out loud. Questions about anxiety, burnout, family tradeoffs, AI, ambition, and what it actually costs to build something meaningful. This isn’t motivational fluff or hustle porn. It’s a grounded, honest conversation about what happens when you put yourself into high-pressure environments, take investor money, and try to build something that matters while still being a human. Brennan shares personal stories from his own journey as a repeat founder, including moments he wishes he could take back, hard tradeoffs he refuses to repeat, and the frameworks he now uses to stay present, stable, and effective. If you’ve ever wondered whether something is “wrong” with you for finding startup life hard, this episode is for you. In this episode, Brennan covers: • Whether startup culture creates mental illness or simply exposes what’s already there• How anxiety shows up differently in normal jobs vs hypergrowth environments• Why flow state matters more than hours worked• The real cost founders’ families quietly absorb• How to prioritize your partner and kids without tanking the business• Why stability is an underrated competitive advantage• Whether AI is making founders lazy or finally giving them leverage• The biggest mistakes Brennan would’ve avoided if today’s AI tools existed earlier• How to manage chronic anxiety without losing your edge as a founder This episode is a reminder that you don’t need to suffer to build something great. You need clarity, presence, and the ability to regulate yourself under pressure.

    34 min

  7. 6 JAN

    Why Founders Should Stop Trying to Please Everyone, with Serial Entrepreneur Dane Atkinson

    Dane Atkinson has lived just about every version of the founder story. He started his first company at 18. He’s been the CEO of Squarespace in its early years. He’s founded and exited multiple companies, including SumAll. He’s raised roughly $750 million across his career. He’s built businesses that employed thousands of people and created billions in equity value. And about half of his companies didn’t work. That’s what makes this conversation different. In this episode of Not Another Podcast, Dane and I talk about the part of founding that almost never gets discussed honestly: the psychological weight founders put on themselves, and how that weight quietly distorts decision-making, relationships, and even mental health. We get into the illusion of obligation. The feeling that you owe investors, employees, family, or the “story” you sold an outcome you may not actually control. Dane shares deeply personal stories from early failures, from companies that raised tens of millions of dollars and struggled, and from moments where he spent years trying to “make things right” for others, only to realize how much of that pressure existed only in his own head. In this episode, we cover:• Why founders often overestimate how much they owe investors and how that guilt hurts decision-making • The “obligation trap” and how it keeps founders stuck on paths that no longer make sense • How claiming product-market fit too early can socially lock you into the wrong future• What Dane learned from losing friends-and-family money early in his career• Why failure is the real education founders never get taught• How boards actually exert power, and how founders can reframe that dynamic• The role of anxiety, ADHD, and imposter syndrome in founder behavior• How nearly dying reshaped Dane’s view on ownership, leadership, and what actually mattersThis isn’t a hype episode. It’s a perspective episode. And it’s one every long-term founder should hear.Timestamps 00:01 – Making and losing hundreds of millions as a founder 03:10 – Early failure, friends-and-family money, and lasting shame 06:18 – The product-market fit trap and getting socially stuck 10:25 – Anxiety, ADHD, and founder neurology 14:53 – Imposter syndrome and the need to over-control 22:01 – Parenthood, mortality, and letting go of ownership 36:09 – Saying no to massive channel deals at Squarespace 44:26 – What founders actually owe investors (and what they don’t)

    45 min

  8. 16/12/2025

    The Anti-Hype Founder: How Brandon Arvanaghi Built Meow

    While other fintechs raised huge rounds, hired armies, and announced half-baked features, Brandon Arvanaghi built Meow into a billion-dollar business with ~12 people, no hype cycles, no vanity metrics, and a culture so high-ownership that one wrong hire can collapse the whole org. This is not another “sort of intense” founder interview. This is a blueprint for anyone who actually wants to build a durable company and stop LARPing as a founder. In this conversation, Brandon breaks down: • Why one B-player can mathematically tank your entire org• How Meow out-executed much better-funded competitors by staying microscopic and savage• Why founders who rely on hype destroy their own ability to ship• How the 24-Hour No Hype Rule keeps Meow honest, fast, and impossible to ignore• Why most startup incentives mimic bureaucracy• How to build a team that works weekends voluntarily because they care, not because you demand it• Why “distribution-first” founders plateau (and “product-first” founders build empires)• How founders should think about intensity, discipline, and personal sustainability when the business takes off If you’re tired of founder cosplay and want to hear from someone who actually executes, this episode will snap your head straight. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 02:18 — “We didn’t try to build a bank… but customers forced us into one.” 03:40 — The pain of building in a regulated industry 05:25 — What founders get wrong about pivots 09:03 — Why Brandon always knew Meow would be his only company 13:12 — Hiring A-players vs B-players: how one wrong hire breaks the company 17:32 — Work ethic, ownership, and why 9–5 mindsets don’t survive early-stage startups 18:58 — Why B-players multiply—and how to eliminate them early 21:00 — The reality of 7-day founder workweeks (and why Meow isn’t performative about it) 23:45 — Why founders must feel customer pain themselves 31:52 — The insane expectations VCs used to have around headcount 36:17 — How founders stay sharp: routines, workouts, discipline, leverage 47:07 — The “No Hype Rule” that built Meow 50:00 — Why Meow plays a 10-year game, not a 10-week game 55:03 — Why product, not distribution, builds generational companies 58:12 — Where to find Brandon

    56 min
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About

Hey, I’m Brennan Pothetes. I’ve raised millions, burned out hard, and learned that most startup advice is toxic BS. Hustle culture isn’t a superpower. It’s a fast track to burnout. So I’m starting Not Another Podcast. Each episode, I’m doing something fun, like building Legos or cooking spaghetti, while having raw, honest convos with founders. It’s part therapy, part teardown. All real talk. If you’re done with the hype and want sustainable success, this is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Infinity Constellation
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Infinity Constellation
  • Show Website
    Not Another Podcast

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