First Builders

The Council
  • 5.0 (13)
  • INVESTING

The First Builders Podcast from The Council dives into the stories of those who go first—founders, funders, and early operators who helped build category-defining companies before they were household names. Hosted by General Partner Amber Illig and Partner Rachel Tsui, each episode brings a candid, practical conversation with someone who has helped shape companies before there was a playbook.

Episodes

  1. Inside the Physical Economy: Charles Julius on Platforms, Trust, and the Food Supply Chain

    2D AGO

    Inside the Physical Economy: Charles Julius on Platforms, Trust, and the Food Supply Chain

    In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Charles Julius, Co-Founder and CEO of Loamy, to explore what it really takes to build platforms for essential, historically under-digitized industries. Charles shares his unconventional path from healthcare law to software engineering, and how formative experiences at Procore and Motive (formerly KeepTruckin) shaped his philosophy around platform building, customer trust, and leadership. He reflects on building marketplaces and developer ecosystems inside construction and logistics - and how those lessons now apply to the food supply chain, where even small operational failures can create massive downstream impact. Now at Loamy, Charles is focused on reducing food loss by building an operating system for food manufacturers and distributors bringing visibility, AI-driven insights, and end-to-end coordination to one of the most complex supply chains in the physical economy. The conversation covers leadership growth, co-founder dynamics, earning customer trust in mission-critical environments, and why great design and customer empathy matter more than speed. Why customer trust is the foundation of platform adoption in essential industriesLessons from building marketplaces at Procore and enterprise platforms at MotiveTransitioning from law to engineering and learning by getting uncomfortableApplying AI responsibly in high-stakes, operational environmentsHow Loamy is tackling food waste across manufacturers and distributorsThe difference between being “right” and being an effective leaderCo-founder relationships, communication, and long-term partnershipWhy design-led workflows outperform tech-first solutionsThis episode is a deep dive into building durable platforms for the physical economy, and leading with humility, resilience, and purpose. FOLLOW CHARLES JULIUS Website: https://getloamy.com Email: charles@getloamy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-julius/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    46 min
  2. From SaaS to Science: David Apple on Driving Biotech With Purpose

    JAN 6

    From SaaS to Science: David Apple on Driving Biotech With Purpose

    In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with David Apple, founder and CEO of Shark Tooth Biotech, to explore purpose-driven building, rare disease innovation, and what it really takes to start over in an entirely new industry. David helped scale two of the most iconic SaaS companies of the last decade—Typeform and Notion—as an early go-to-market leader. Today, he’s bringing those same first-principles instincts to biotech, building Shark Tooth Biotech to develop treatments for CMT1A, a rare, progressive neurological disease affecting his young son and more than a million people worldwide. He shares how his son’s diagnosis reshaped his definition of success, why rare diseases remain underfunded despite impacting 1 in 10 people globally, and how AI, drug repurposing, and unconventional paths can accelerate progress in a traditionally slow field—while reflecting on scaling early teams, building with personal stakes, and why curiosity, retention, and purpose matter more than ever for founders. Why early-stage building starts with first principles, not optimizationLessons from scaling Typeform and Notion from zero to global adoptionWhy retention—not acquisition—is the foundation of sustainable growthWhat most tech founders misunderstand about biotech fundraisingHow AI is accelerating drug discovery and repurposingThe emotional highs and lows of building a company for your childWhy founders should prioritize purpose alongside commercial outcomesThis conversation is a powerful look at building not just for scale, but for impact. FOLLOW DAVID APPLE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appledavid/ Twitter/X: @davidcapple https://www.sharktooth.bio/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    42 min
  3. First Builders Holiday Special 2025

    12/22/2025

    First Builders Holiday Special 2025

    In this holiday special episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down to reflect on 2025, what it was like to build The Council in this tumultuous year, the launch of First Builders, and some predictions for 2026.  In this conversation, Amber and Rachel discuss:  Firm highlights like Rachel joining full time, starting to deploy Fund II, and launching the podcast Viral moments from 2025 like Soham Parekh going viral, PR being handled well and not well (i.e. Bryan Johnson’s love letter vs. Coldplay video cam) 2025 market reflections, especially how everyone entered the year with optimism on IPO and M&A market opening up and then tariffs were announced The AI boom and predictions on the bubble, and what companies are more durable vs. others Amber and Rachel’s predictions for the market in 2026! Thank you to all of our listeners for an amazing first year of First Builders!  FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    32 min
  4. Building Reliable AI: Haroon Choudery on Infrastructure, Education, and Scaling Trust

    12/15/2025

    Building Reliable AI: Haroon Choudery on Infrastructure, Education, and Scaling Trust

    AI is moving faster than ever—but reliability remains the missing layer. In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Haroon Choudery, founder and CEO of Autoblocks AI, to unpack what it takes to build trustworthy AI systems in high-stakes, regulated environments. Haroon has spent over a decade building at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and infrastructure, with a career that spans early work with Mark Cuban on computer vision projects, foundational roles at Komodo Health, and the launch of a nonprofit focused on AI education. Haroon shares how his early exposure to machine learning—and the real-world consequences of rapid technological change—shaped his belief that education, reliability, and proactive risk management are essential to scaling AI responsibly. At Autoblocks, he’s building the testing and evaluation layer that helps companies catch AI issues before their users do, working with customers like Hinge Health to ensure AI applications meet the highest standards of safety and performance. In this conversation, Haroon discusses: Why testing and evaluation are the missing infrastructure layer in AIWhat “reliability” really means for generative AI systemsWhy healthcare is a proving ground for high-stakes AI adoptionHow founders can scale AI safely without sacrificing speedThe role of education in reducing uncertainty and building trustWhy generalist skill sets and wearing many hats matter for early builders This conversation explores what it takes to build AI that works beyond the demo, where trust, reliability, and education play a central role alongside innovation. FOLLOW HAROON CHOUDERY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroonchoudery/ https://www.autoblocks.ai/ aiready.so FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    50 min
  5. Law, Policy & the Public Trust: Prashanthi Raman on Building at the Frontier

    12/02/2025

    Law, Policy & the Public Trust: Prashanthi Raman on Building at the Frontier

    Regulation and policy is often seen as a barrier to innovation, but it doesn’t have to be.  In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Prashanthi Raman, former head of government affairs at both Cruise and Lyft, after starting her career as an attorney in healthcare policy.  Prashanthi has worked at the intersection of policy and tech for over a decade, and started her career as an attorney focused in healthcare policy. She spent time working at the office of the governor of Illinois to help shape policies to ensure compliance with the ACA and Medicaid Expansion programs, before moving into the tech ecosystem.  At Lyft, she spearheaded nationwide policies to enhance ridesharing regulations, and helped shape a new category that did not yet have strong regulatory frameworks in place. Prashanthi then moved to Cruise, an autonomous vehicle company, to again help shape a new category for regulatory compliance - autonomous driving and vehicles.  In this conversation, Prashanthi shares: How her time at Lyft and Cruise - category defining companies - reshaped her view of government affairs Why AI will still need human relationships to drive regulatory frameworks Why government affairs is a catalyst, not just a cost center,  for tech companies How she stays calm and thrives in high chaos environments How her leadership style was shaped by working in policy early on Why humanized storytelling and putting people first is the guiding force for her career in government affairs This is a candid conversation on how tech companies should embrace rather than shy away from government affairs and regulatory compliance, and how focusing on humanized storytelling continues to be a core competency for early First Builders.  FOLLOW PRASHANTHI RAMAN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prashanthi-raman/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    40 min
  6. Scaling with Taste: Cecilia Ziniti on GC AI’s Series B and the Discipline Behind Hypergrowth

    11/12/2025

    Scaling with Taste: Cecilia Ziniti on GC AI’s Series B and the Discipline Behind Hypergrowth

    A real-time debrief on a breakout moment. GC AI just announced its Series B led by Scale Venture Partners and Northzone after crossing $10M ARR and serving legal teams at more than 1,000 companies in under two years. Founder and CEO Cecilia Ziniti returns to First Builders to talk about going from day one to “kindergarten,” keeping the quality bar high while hiring fast, and why customer milestones matter more than funding. In this conversation, Cecilia shares: – How GC AI kept customer love strong while growing from hundreds to 1,000+ companies – The framework for roadmap acceleration tied to real user feedback – What changed from Series A to Series B—and how to decide how much to raise – How to hire for taste and maintain discipline during hypergrowth – Why customer obsession is still the ultimate growth strategy It’s an inside look at scaling a company with taste, discipline, and an unwavering focus on customers. FOLLOW CECILIA ZINITI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaziniti GC AI: https://gc.ai Email: cecilia@gc.ai FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    23 min
  7. Democratizing Wealth: Alessandro Chesser on Building Dynasty and Lessons from Carta’s Early Days

    11/03/2025

    Democratizing Wealth: Alessandro Chesser on Building Dynasty and Lessons from Carta’s Early Days

    What if the same wealth tools billionaires use were accessible to everyone? In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Alessandro Chesser, Co-Founder & CEO of Dynasty, a licensed Nevada trust company helping founders and investors maximize equity value through smart ownership structures like QSBS stacking. Before founding Dynasty, Alessandro spent eight years at Carta, joining as the company’s first sales hire and helping scale revenue from zero to $300M. Along the way, he learned how ownership structures shape outcomes—not just for investors, but for founders and employees too. In this conversation, Alessandro shares: – Lessons from building Carta’s early sales and culture – Why trust and education are the missing pieces in equity strategy – How Dynasty is democratizing complex wealth tools like Nevada trusts – The risk and reward behind becoming a licensed trust company – Why compassion and clarity are underrated founder superpowers It’s a candid look at what it takes to build credibility, complexity, and culture—from a first builder who’s done it twice. FOLLOW ALESSANDRO CHESSER LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandrochesser Dynasty: https://getdynasty.com FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    47 min
  • 7 Episodes

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

The First Builders Podcast from The Council dives into the stories of those who go first—founders, funders, and early operators who helped build category-defining companies before they were household names. Hosted by General Partner Amber Illig and Partner Rachel Tsui, each episode brings a candid, practical conversation with someone who has helped shape companies before there was a playbook.

Information

  • Creator
    The Council
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 First Builders