Napkin Math

Charlie & Sabba
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Join Sabba Keynejad (co-founder of VEED.io) and Charlie Ward (founder of Ramen Club, Ramen Space & Cosy) as they dive deep into the world of startups, AI, and the latest tech trends. These two legends of the London indie scene bring their no-nonsense, real-world insights to help founders, builders, and indie hackers navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Expect candid conversations, actionable takeaways, and the occasional hot take on where the future of business is headed. Whether you're bootstrapping your way to success or scaling your next big idea, Napkin Math is your go-to podcast for unfiltered discussions on what it really takes to win in the startup game.

  1. Is OpenClaw’s Hype Real? Are AI Agents Replacing Jobs? What’s the Anti-AI Thesis?

    2D AGO

    Is OpenClaw’s Hype Real? Are AI Agents Replacing Jobs? What’s the Anti-AI Thesis?

    The Napkin Math duo is back with another episode.  We spend most of this one trying to make sense of AI agents, OpenClaw - the new kid on the block, and why this wave feels messier but more real than the last few.  We talk through hype vs reality, what agents can actually do today, and how work is quietly shifting from roles and seats to tasks and systems. We also discuss AI fluency levels, how people are using Claude Code in real marketing workflows, one-person companies, and end with the Anti-AI portfolio. Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:15 OpenClaw & the agent breakout moment 06:52 Hype vs. reality: shiny tools, boring winners 09:45 The Dropbox lesson: abstraction beats raw tech 12:43 AI agents, security & where this breaks 19:07 AI vs SaaS, leverage & outcome-based work 24:58 Are AI agents actually killing jobs? 28:23 Levels of AI fluency (and how people keep jobs) 37:26 Using AI to save your job, not lose it 45:18 Installing skills: marketing, SEO, CRO, execution 47:12 When agents go wrong: prompt hijacking & trust 52:03 The anti-AI portfolio (what AI won’t replace) 57:18 Why live experiences still win

    1h 6m
  2. How Jonny (Founder of Remotion) Got 14M Views on X in a Day

    FEB 2

    How Jonny (Founder of Remotion) Got 14M Views on X in a Day

    The duo is back with another episode, and this time we’ve got a guest. Jonny Burger, founder of Remotion, joins us after accidentally pulling 14M+ views overnight on X. We chat about vibe coding, prompting motion graphics with Claude, and why building with AI feels different right now. We also get into how Jonny handled the sudden attention, the noise, and acquisition offers that followed. Timestamps: (0:17) Remotion goes viral (accidentally) (2:25) Prompting motion graphics with Claude (6:54) How Jonny has been building for 5 years (10:33) Claude’s GPT-4 moment + vibe coding (15:25) Why Remotion won’t go full B2C (19:57) AI agents, local tools, and seat-based SaaS breaking (32:14) What 14M views actually did to revenue (40:07) Acquisition interest & choosing freedom (46:43) Real-world Remotion use cases (marathons, automation) (50:36) Europe vs. Silicon Valley + marketing lessons for devs

    57 min
  3. Is Claude the New ChatGPT? Is Peter Thiel a Billionaire? Meta-Manus, $1M Plank Biz, Solo SaaS Rise

    JAN 28

    Is Claude the New ChatGPT? Is Peter Thiel a Billionaire? Meta-Manus, $1M Plank Biz, Solo SaaS Rise

    We have some news!!! Napkin Math Podcast is now live on YouTube. The episode starts with a life update (Sabba’s new baby) and somehow turns childbirth into actual B2B SaaS lessons. From there, it spirals into whether Peter Thiel is really a billionaire, why Claude feels like another GPT-4 moment, and how vibe coding is accelerating the rise of one-person companies. It then breaks down Meta’s Manus acquisition, a bootstrapped $1M planks business hiding in plain sight, X’s push into blogs, and finishes with Elon’s ever-expanding list of beefs. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro00:27 Sabba’s B2B SaaS lessons from childbirth08:00 Is Peter Thiel a billionaire?09:57 Claude’s GPT 4 moment10:49 Vibe Coding Frenzy14:45 Ralph Wiggum AI agent19:01 AI vs seat-based SaaS23:22 Boom of one-person companies26:11 Meta acquiring Manus31:07 $1M Secret Planks Business39:48 Home-reno & logistics startup ideas43:27 X blogs push, Grok, and Elon’s beefs

    49 min

  4. 12/23/2025

    Christmas Special: $100M ARR Frenzy, LLM Wars, Sergey’s Comeback, ChatGPT App Store Opportunity, Prediction Markets, 2025 Awards & 2026 Predictions

    Sabba and Charlie are back for a special Christmas episode. A 2-hour deep dive split into two parts. In the first, the chaps dive into the $100M ARR frenzy across AI startups, break down the Claude Opus 4.5 release, and debate the escalating LLM wars between Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. They also discuss Sergey Brin’s return to Google, the opportunity emerging around the ChatGPT App Store, and why prediction markets are starting to compete with traditional media. In the second, they announce the 2025 awards, sharing their picks for the best product, the best trend, the best distribution startup, and the best comeback story, before closing off with their 2026 predictions. 00:00 Intro – Napkin Math Christmas Special00:53 Why founders can hate Christmas01:45 Sabba's baby announcement (and life update) 02:55 $100M ARR Frenzy in AI startups07:56 Google AI Studio & Unfair Advantage09:47 Are these AI startups actually profitable?11:37 When will we see $1B ARR companies?12:21 Replit’s long-term advantage & Opus 4.5 16:10 LLM Wars (Google vs. ChatGPT vs. Anthropic)17:33 Google’s vertical AI advantage explained19:47 Sergey Brin’s return to Google21:19 Is AI a winner-take-all market? 31:09 ChatGPT App Store opportunity39:58 What's the hype of Prediction Markets42:47 Startup opportunities around prediction markets50:25 2025 Napkin Math Awards (Best product, trend, distribution & comeback)01:02:27 Why Google now leads AI01:04:12 Bear case for Google01:06:29 Comparing Google’s position to Nvidia’s rise01:08:40 Honorable mention (AI Video’s breakout year)01:09:30 Why models outpaced products in AI video01:11:40 What to watch heading into 2026

    1h 31m

  5. 11/17/2025

    5+ Startup Idea Frameworks and Making Britain Rich Again

    After a mini hiatus the boys are back with a banger. 5 startup idea frameworks you can use to start the next unicorn or profitable bootstrapped business. Plus, they inadvertently start the Ben Tossell fan club, and talk about making the UK rich again. 00:00 Napkin Math - Startup Idea Frameworks01:43 Startup idea framework 1 - copy your competitors06:23 Framework 2 - build an indirect competitor09:02 Framework 3 - build for a growing trend16:18 Framework 4 - build for new regulations19:54 Framework 4 - build an Open Source competitor26:48 Are any frameworks better for bootstrappers?30:20 Do you need in-market experience before building in that market?31:45 Characteristics of successful founders33:43 The end of Claude Code?35:42 The Ben Tossell fan club39:23 Make Britain Rich Again - Forest City

    46 min

  6. 09/23/2025

    B2B SaaS lessons from breaking your leg, VEED's new CTO and AI launch

    After spending weeks in hospital with a broken leg, Charlie has had plenty of time to think about B2B SaaS lessons for the pod, and he delivers. The chaps also chat about VEED's new CTO hire, their Fabric 1.0 launch and brainstorm existing businesses that could inject AI to get to $100m quickly. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro02:07 B2B SaaS lessons from breaking your leg19:50 Why VEED hired a new CTO25:15 VEED Fabric Launch32:03 Existing companies that could inject AI35:29 Shift to usage based billing39:48 Why courses are hatedLinks: Napkin MathVEEDRamen ClubCosyRamen Space

    42 min

  7. 08/15/2025

    Crazy Figma IPO, why VPNs have become VERY popular and is DeepMind the best acquisition of all time?

    Today Sabba and Charlie break down the Figma IPO and speculate on which company will be the next Figma. They question whether the chat interface for AI is outdated, and debate if DeepMind might be the greatest acquisition of all time, plus who’s most likely to win the AGI race. They also dig into the UK’s online safety act, why VPNs are booming, and wrap up with a very cheeky “recording blocker” startup idea. 00:00 Intro01:21 Figma IPO10:32 Who will be the next Figma17:25 "Tea app", Uber for X, Tinder for X etc...27:25 Is the chat interface for AI archaic?31:08 Is DeepMind the best acquisition of all time?34:29 Who will win AGI?37:01 UK's online safety act and the business of VPNs45:50 Recording blocker free startup idea

    49 min

  8. 08/12/2025

    How VEED founder uses ChatGPT, Duolingo's $1billion freemium masterstroke and more AI chat

    Sabba talks about how he uses ChatGPT, Charlie talks use cases for Claude Code and the duo debate whether the UK is an impossible place  to bootstrap. Sabba also share lessons on hiring top talent early, and dissect Duolingo’s $1billion freemium play (with a  15% churn rate) before comparing it to VEED’s freemium vs free trial approach. 00:00 Intro00:28 How a VC-backed founder uses ChatGPT06:52 Use cases of Claude Code13:25 Napkin Math AI Animation16:14 Is the UK impossible to bootstrap?20:34 Hiring great talent early on25:31 Duolingo's $1billion freemium approach with 15% churn36:04 VEEDs approach to freemium vs free trial

    41 min
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About

Join Sabba Keynejad (co-founder of VEED.io) and Charlie Ward (founder of Ramen Club, Ramen Space & Cosy) as they dive deep into the world of startups, AI, and the latest tech trends. These two legends of the London indie scene bring their no-nonsense, real-world insights to help founders, builders, and indie hackers navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Expect candid conversations, actionable takeaways, and the occasional hot take on where the future of business is headed. Whether you're bootstrapping your way to success or scaling your next big idea, Napkin Math is your go-to podcast for unfiltered discussions on what it really takes to win in the startup game.

Information

  • Creator
    Charlie & Sabba
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Napkin Math Industries
  • Show Website
    Napkin Math