Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

Rohit Malhotra
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Life Self Mastery Podcast is an interview based show where I interview online entrepreneurs who started their businesses and scaled up their businesses to improve their lifestyles. Previous guests include Guy Kawasaki, Brad Feld, James Clear, Shu Nyatta, Ida Tin, Elizabeth Yin, Polina Pompliano, Evgenia Plotnikova, Anna Khan, Minnie Ingersoll, Sridhar Ramaswamy, Mac Conwell, Danielle Strachman, Jake Gibson, Wes Kao, Brian Requarth, Vivek Sodera, Eric Siu, Amit Garg, Nischal Shetty, Pranav Pai, Nir Eyal, Paul Shapiro, Nick Huber, Rob Walling, Andrew Dsouza, Fabrice Grinda, and 300+ incredible guests. partnergrow.substack.com

  1. 2d ago

    Vincent Jong on Building Profitable SaaS Without Outside Money

    I am thrilled to have Vincent Jong, the founder of DataMerge, a B2B data platform challenging ZoomInfo and Apollo with smarter enrichment waterfalls and transparent pricing and Meetbot which is an AI‑first scheduling platform. He also builds AI-first companies through Poolside Ventures and hosts SaaS on the Beach, an exclusive retreat for top SaaS founders. In this interview, Vincent Jong, shares insights on building AI-first SaaS products, data enrichment, and startup strategies. Discover how he leverages AI to create cost-efficient, scalable solutions and his approach to building successful ventures without external funding. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Vincent Jong and His Ventures 03:42 Vincent's Journey into Startups and Product Management 06:15 The Value of Company Data in Sales and Marketing 09:41 Understanding Enrichment Waterfalls in Data Providers 12:42 Transparent Pricing in Data Services 15:38 Building AI-First Companies Without Traditional Engineering Teams 18:42 The Role of AI in Marketing and Content Creation 26:35 Optimizing for AI Understanding 28:50 Profitability and Competitive Advantage 30:42 Building for Longevity and Growth 34:03 Intentional Decision-Making in Startups 39:36 Creating Meaningful Connections at SaaS on the Beach Vincent's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentjong/ Website – https://www.poolside.ventures My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  2. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    Introducing Oprah Celebrates 40 Years of The Oprah Winfrey Show from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast Today—September 8, 1986—marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most momentous days in Oprah's life and career. Forty years ago today the very first nationally syndicated episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired launching what would become a 25 year cultural phenomenon and pioneering television. In this special anniversary episode Oprah reflects on her extraordinary journey—from her early days as a news anchor in Nashville and Baltimore to her first audition tape and the lessons she learned hosting AM Chicago, the show that brought her to the Windy City. She also reveals the enduring early lessons that shaped her life's purpose and continue to guide her work today as well as how she lives each day in gratitude for what she considers a God-given opportunity. 00:00:00 Oprah on the beginning of The Oprah Winfrey Show 00:04:00 Oprah and Barbara Walters 00:09:00 Oprah’s audition and Dennis Swanson 00:18:30 - Oprah’s journal entry before her first national show 00:20:00 - Oprah's first show 00:30:00 - Oprah’s last show 00:35:50 - Don Johnson’s surprise Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

  3. Sep 3

    Fadwa Ouardani from Leblon Capital on Why European Startups Have to Think Globally

    I am excited to have Fadwa Ouardani, a business angel and VC investor at Leblon Capital, backing founders across the US and Europe. In this interview, Fadwa Ouardani, a VC investor at Leblon Capital, shares her journey from operator to investor, her views on startup culture, the impact of AI, and advice for founders navigating the global landscape. Discover key traits of successful founders, the importance of company culture, and the future of venture capital. Timestamps 03:40 Traits of Successful Founders 06:18 Building Strong Company Culture 09:38 Comparing European and American Founders 12:33 The Future of Innovation Globally 15:35 Navigating Founder and Investor Relationships 18:25 Challenges of High Valuations 21:18 Growth Frameworks in AI 24:21 The Role of IPOs in Venture Capital 27:07 Advice for Emerging Managers Fadwa's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/fadwa-ouardani/ Website – https://leblon-capital.com My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  4. Aug 27

    Alex Shartsis from Skyp on Winning Outbound in the Age of AI Email

    I am thrilled to have Alex Shartsis, the founder and CEO of Skyp, a bootstrapped AI email platform powering personalized outbound for sales teams at leading companies. In this episode, Alex Shartsis, founder and CEO of Skyp, shares insights on building a bootstrapped GTM software company, writing outbound that actually earns replies, and winning a crowded category against far better-funded rivals. Discover how one conference-outreach play packed an enterprise pipeline with 130 leads in a single quarter, why a $20M exit can beat a $20M raise, and what most people still get wrong about AI-generated cold email in 2026. Timestamps 00:50 What a great sales team actually looks like 02:48 Why Alex bootstrapped Skyp instead of raising VC 07:42 The payback math: when a $20M outcome beats a $20M raise 10:32 Outbound in 2026 — personalization that works vs. slop 15:05 Do follow-up emails work? (why he ignores your first one) 18:02 Email + LinkedIn + phone: the multi-channel workflow 22:42 AI coding tools for non-technical founders & GTM leaders 27:54 Pricing: why Skip refuses credit-based pricing 33:51 Winning a crowded category against better-funded rivals 37:59 Personal brand & newsletter as a GTM engine 41:39 Rapid fire: favorite business book 43:08 What he'd do differently building Skyp Alex's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/shartsis/ Website – https://skyp.ai/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  5. Aug 20

    Mike Zisman from GolfGenius on Building a Niche Software Empire

    I am happy to have Mike Zisman, the founder and Executive Chairman of Golf Genius Software, the leading tournament management platform serving 11,000+ golf clubs across 62 countries In this episode, Mike Zisman, founder of Golf Genius Software, shares insights on building a capital-efficient tech company, forming game-changing partnerships, and navigating today's exit landscape. Discover how a single USGA deal transformed the company's trajectory, why raising less capital can make a startup stronger, and what it really takes to build resilient remote teams that stick around. Learn What did it actually take to build enough trust with the USGA to replace their entire tournament management system? Michael targets 20% EBITDA margin and reinvest the rest - how did he land on that number specifically Michael runs acquired brands as separate brands rather than folding them in. What's the actual criteria for when to keep a brand alive versus absorb it? What's your favourite business book ->innovator's dilemma What's your favourite business tool ->gmail If you could go back, what would you do differently ->understand how a golf course operates Timestamps 00:00 From MIT Professor to Software Entrepreneur 03:04 Leaving Academia: The Leap Into Building Companies 06:13 The Birth of Golf Genius and Its Early Struggles 09:08 Why Trust and Relationships Win Deals 12:12 The USGA Partnership That Changed Everything 15:13 Raising Less: The Case for Capital Efficiency 18:21 Employee Ownership and Building a Real Culture 21:09 Remote Teams and the Retention Playbook 24:05 Where AI Actually Fits in Business Today 27:05 The Future of Programming and Productivity 28:25 The Brutal Job Market Facing New Graduates 32:16 Why Interpersonal Skills Still Beat Technical Ones 34:19 The Golf Industry's Shifting Strategies 36:24 Reading Market Dynamics and Growth Levers 39:52 Exit Strategies in Today's Market 41:55 How Company Ownership and Investment Are Evolving 43:56 The Future of Venture Capital and Private Equity 49:13 Resilience: The Entrepreneur's Real Edge Mike's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-zisman-51528/ Website – https://golfgenius.com/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  6. Aug 13

    Ron Levin from Alumni Ventures on What a Real Moat Looks Like

    I am thrilled to have Ron Levin, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures Seed Fund and co-founder of Perk, formerly TravelPerk, which scaled to a $2.7 billion valuation. He has backed 1,600+ companies and written Higher Purpose Venture Capital. In this episode, Ron Levin, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures and co-founder of TravelPerk, shares insights on venture capital, startup fundraising, and the future of AI. Discover how founders can decode a VC pass, what a real moat looks like for AI companies, and why social impact and strong returns aren't mutually exclusive. Timestamps 00:26 From McKinsey to Booking.com to Co-Founding TravelPerk 02:53 Building TravelPerk: The First 12 Months and Manual Grind 05:48 Crossing the Table: What Founders Get Wrong 08:11 The Alumni Ventures Model: Co-Investing Alongside Top VCs 09:44 Decoding a VC Pass: When It's Really About the Team 13:18 Securing a Lead Investor Without Social Proof 16:13 What's Moving the Needle: AI-First Investing Now 17:44 The AI Wrapper Trap and What a Real Moat Looks Like 20:08 Why SaaS Metrics Don't Map to AI Companies 21:49 Who Wins the AI Model War 23:42 The Anthropic IPO and AI Valuations 26:06 Higher Purpose Venture Capital: Returns Meet Social Impact 29:30 IPOs, Secondaries, and Staying Private Longer 31:48 Should VCs Ignore Price for Generational Companies? 33:50 Structuring a Seed Raise With No Warm Network Ron's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/levinron/ Website – https://www.av.vc/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  7. Aug 6

    Mike Ryan from Bullet Point Network on Building the AI Wall Street Will Rely On

    I am thrilled to have Mike Ryan, CEO of Bullet Point Network, who was earlier Partner at Goldman Sachs, Global Co-Head of Equities, investment committee at Harvard's endowment. In this episode, Mike Ryan, CEO of Bullet Point Network and former Goldman Sachs Partner and Global Co-Head of Equities, shares insights on AI in investing, disciplined capital allocation, and building a startup late in a storied career. Discover why quality control is the real battleground in AI, how the "AI + 1" model keeps humans in the loop, what decades on Harvard's investment committee taught him about betting on people, and why return on capital still matters most in an age of sky-high private valuations. Timestamps 00:36 — Allocating capital at Harvard's endowment vs. running a trading desk at Goldman 02:21 — The moment he decided to leave Goldman and Harvard to build a company 04:12 — "AI + 1": where the system stops and human judgment starts 07:01 — Selling AI into skeptical investment teams — the sales cycle and quality control 09:15 — Turning a geopolitical/macro signal into an investable thesis vs. a narrative 12:28 — From the token subsidy era to the token shortage era 14:54 — Where AI creates real leverage in the deal lifecycle — and where it's hype 17:40 — Patterns from the dot-com and subprime cycles; are we in a bubble? 21:43 — Why companies stay private longer, secondaries, and the IPO question 25:08 — Creativity, persuasion, judgment, and the death of apprenticeship learning 27:59 — The operator problems Goldman and Harvard never prepared him for 30:26 — GTM motion: who the first buyer is inside an investment firm 32:12 — McKinsey's 12M-jobs projection and whether firms are ready 34:53 — Value vs. growth investing at high valuations Mike's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ryan-bpn/ Website – https://bpnai.com/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

  8. Jul 30

    Rebuilding Finance Operations with Tal Kirschenbaum of Ledge

    I am thrilled to have Tal Kirschenbaum, co-founder and CEO of Ledge. He's not building software that tracks the month-end close. He's building AI agents that that tracks the month-end close. In this episode, Tal Kirschenbaum, CEO of Ledge, shares insights on AI in finance, startup growth, and go-to-market strategies. Discover how AI is transforming accounting, the importance of deterministic models, and lessons from building a successful AI company. Timestamps 01:12 Understanding Corporate M&A and its Relevance to Startups 02:42 Insights from Corporate M&A Experience and Building Ledge 03:28 Origin of Ledge: Market Gap in Finance Operations 04:56 The Build vs. Buy Dilemma in AI Solutions 09:01 The Importance of Consistency in AI for Finance 11:03 Sales Strategies: Founder-Led and Multi-Channel Outreach 13:51 Leveraging Social Media and Content for Pipeline Growth 14:55 Balancing Founder Involvement in Sales and Scaling 16:54 Managing Distributed Teams Across Time Zones 18:45 Early Hiring Challenges and Lessons Learned 24:52 AI's Impact on Jobs in Finance and Future Outlook 27:53 AI Investment Mistakes and Market Trends 29:58 Global AI Race: US vs. China 31:04 Effective Go-to-Market Tactics for AI Startups 33:50 Staying Productive and Avoiding Burnout Tal's Links  LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-k/ Website – https://ledge.co/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/ Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/outbound-sales-mastery/

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About

Life Self Mastery Podcast is an interview based show where I interview online entrepreneurs who started their businesses and scaled up their businesses to improve their lifestyles. Previous guests include Guy Kawasaki, Brad Feld, James Clear, Shu Nyatta, Ida Tin, Elizabeth Yin, Polina Pompliano, Evgenia Plotnikova, Anna Khan, Minnie Ingersoll, Sridhar Ramaswamy, Mac Conwell, Danielle Strachman, Jake Gibson, Wes Kao, Brian Requarth, Vivek Sodera, Eric Siu, Amit Garg, Nischal Shetty, Pranav Pai, Nir Eyal, Paul Shapiro, Nick Huber, Rob Walling, Andrew Dsouza, Fabrice Grinda, and 300+ incredible guests. partnergrow.substack.com

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