Cents Check

Shriya Jonnalagadda
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Entrepreneurship

Founders. First principles. First checks. A Startup Boston production. Building a startup is a series of hard decisions made with incomplete information. Cents Check goes inside Boston's early-stage ecosystem to unpack how those decisions actually get made — from the first product bet to the first term sheet. Each episode, host Shriya Jonnalagadda sits down with founders, operators, investors, and researchers to get past the polished narrative and into the real mechanics of company building: how capital gets raised, how risk gets priced, and how ideas become institutions. From university labs and accelerator cohorts to venture-backed startups, Cents Check covers the full arc of Boston's builder community — because the next great company is already being built somewhere in this city.

Episodes

  1. Jul 7

    Building Agent Infrastructure in Boston: Jack O’Brien on Subconscious, Startups, and Strategy

    Most startups give up after a few tries—Jack O’Brien? He’s built not one, not two, but 6 companies from scratch, and he’s far from done. His latest venture, Subconscious, is redefining AI infrastructure for agents, and spoiler: it’s not your typical tech story. Whether you’re a founder in the trenches or just dreaming of your first breakout, Jack’s journey from college beds to machine learning mastery will turn your assumptions upside down—and maybe even inspire you to go all-in. In this episode, Jack reveals the gritty, no-nonsense mindset that fuels relentless startup persistence. He shares how early failures gave him the edge and why the secret sauce is a powerful blend of deep industry skills and fearless experimentation. You'll discover: how to build defensible tech in a world of copycats, why infrastructure beats flashy apps every time, and the surprisingly strategic move of choosing Boston over Silicon Valley. We break down the technical genius behind Subconscious—specifically, how Jack’s inference runtime TIMRUN turbocharges long-term AI reasoning with context compression and caching. He explains why agent workloads are a different beast than chatbots, and how their innovative approach creates a real moat in a sea of black boxes. Plus, Jack shares the importance of proximity to MIT, Boston’s underrated startup scene, and how to spot when your tech is ready to scale. This is essential listening if you’re tired of the “move fast, break things” myth and want real insights into building deep tech with staying power. Jack’s raw, honest perspective cuts through the noise, arming future founders with the must-have advice: be honest, get technical, and go all the way. Whether you’re grinding in the Boston ecosystem or dreaming of AI dominance, this episode is your blueprint for the grit, growth, and guts needed to succeed.

  2. Jun 22

    Marketing Your Mission (Without Losing Your Mind) with Cara Hogan

    Most early-stage climate startups overlook the one thing that could unlock inbound leads on day one of fundraising -- without spending a dime. Cara Hogan, a storyteller turned climate tech marketing maestro, reveals how a simple customer video campaign seamlessly rolled into a flood of interest, just by harnessing authentic proof points. Spoiler: you don’t need a giant budget, just a killer message and a strategic launch.  From pivoting out of journalism to rocket-fueled startups, Cara’s journey is packed with lessons on defining your niche, crafting compelling positioning, and building structure in your fractional CMO practice, even when you start with just a few hours a week. She shares her secrets to creating predictable demand gen, the biggest positioning mistakes founders make in climate tech, and how to cut through technical noise to resonate with real buyers. You'll discover: how to use mini campaigns and customer stories to generate consistent inbound energy, the importance of aligning your messaging across every touchpoint, and why climate founders’ passion is their best selling point, and how to channel that into market success. Cara also dives into the Boston climate ecosystem, revealing what makes it a uniquely supportive hub—and where it still needs to level up in inclusivity. If you’re a founder in early-stage climate with product-market fit but no dedicated marketing team, this episode is your blueprint for turning limited hours into massive impact before your next raise. Perfect for entrepreneurs, VCs, and anyone tired of technical over-explaining. Cara’s tips will help you market your mission without losing your mind. Cara Hogan is a strategic marketing leader focused on climate tech, with two successful exits and a knack for differentiating complex innovations. Her insights are rooted in real-world success, stories, and a genuine passion for making climate solutions a market force. Get ready to rethink what’s possible with limited resources and how authentic storytelling can be your secret weapon in the tough world of climate marketing. Hit play and start building that demand before your competitors do!

  3. Jun 8

    The Messy Reality of Biotech Innovation with Ratnam Srivastava

    From Lab Bench to Founding Table: Ratnam Srivastava on Building LabOps What does it actually take to go from medical researcher to founder in one of the most relationship-driven ecosystems in the world? Ratnam Srivastava spent five years as a health data scientist across Northwell Health, Mount Sinai, and Harvard Medical School and kept running into the same wall: getting research protocols approved was a six-month slog buried in paperwork and bureaucratic back-and-forth. So, he decided to fix it. The result is LabOps, an AI-powered platform streamlining research operations and compliance in life sciences, now operating out of the Cambridge Innovation Center. In this episode, Ratnam gets honest about the messy early days -- a co-founder split at the three-month mark, pitches that went nowhere, and the assumption he had to completely unlearn (hint: full automation isn't the play when human lives are on the line). We also get into what it's like to sell into institutions with serious inertia, how he's juggling multiple accelerators at once, and why Boston's startup scene is finally catching up, even if the investors haven't followed yet. In this episode: The specific moment in research that made him think someone needs to build thisWhy "we'll automate the whole pipeline" was the wrong pitch and what replaced itNavigating co-IP conversations with major research institutionsWhat programs like I-Corps and Evolve Accelerated actually give you (beyond mentorship)His no-fluff first move for anyone sitting on an idea right now

  • 3 Episodes

About

Founders. First principles. First checks. A Startup Boston production. Building a startup is a series of hard decisions made with incomplete information. Cents Check goes inside Boston's early-stage ecosystem to unpack how those decisions actually get made — from the first product bet to the first term sheet. Each episode, host Shriya Jonnalagadda sits down with founders, operators, investors, and researchers to get past the polished narrative and into the real mechanics of company building: how capital gets raised, how risk gets priced, and how ideas become institutions. From university labs and accelerator cohorts to venture-backed startups, Cents Check covers the full arc of Boston's builder community — because the next great company is already being built somewhere in this city.

Information

  • Creator
    Shriya Jonnalagadda
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Cents Check
  • Show Website
    Cents Check