First Builders

The Council
  • 5,0 (13)
  • INVESTISSEMENT

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.

Épisodes

  1. The Future of Healthcare Revenue: Eliana Berger on Fragmentation, AI, and Financial Infrastructure

    -6 J

    The Future of Healthcare Revenue: Eliana Berger on Fragmentation, AI, and Financial Infrastructure

    In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Eliana Berger, Co-Founder and CEO of Joyful Health, following the company’s recent $22M raise and rapid growth. Joyful Health began with a simple but overlooked issue. Healthcare providers often have no clear way to track or recover the revenue they are owed. Financial data is scattered across systems, timelines are unclear, and significant portions of revenue go uncollected. After spending months working directly inside practices, Eliana built Joyful Health to bring that data into one place and help providers understand and recover what they are owed. As the company has grown, the experience has been less about finding demand and more about keeping up with it. The team is expanding quickly, onboarding larger customers, and building infrastructure in parallel with growth. This conversation explores what it looks like to build in a market that is shifting quickly and how that changes the pace and pressure of execution. We cover: Why distribution came easier than expected and what that changesWhat it feels like when demand outpaces internal systemsHow recent advances have shortened implementation timelinesHiring ahead of need and planning beyond the current momentBuilding community as a long-term advantage, not just a marketing channelThe shift from early vision to proof and traction in later stagesStaying focused while opportunities continue to expand This episode is a look at building when conditions are moving in your favor and what it takes to keep pace without losing discipline. FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    18 min
  2. Trust Is the Product: Tina Hwang on Navigating Regulation, Global Growth, and Chaos

    30 MARS

    Trust Is the Product: Tina Hwang on Navigating Regulation, Global Growth, and Chaos

    In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Tina Hwang, Head of Legal at ClassDojo, whose career spans some of the most consequential moments in modern tech. From Google’s rise to WhatsApp’s global expansion, Twitter’s governance transition, and Ancestry’s privacy leadership, Tina has operated at the intersection of hypergrowth, regulation, and trust. Tina shares why legal isn’t just a safeguard but a strategic lever for growth, especially in globally scaled, highly regulated environments, and draws on her experience building governance systems for companies serving billions of users to explain how trust becomes infrastructure, not just a brand attribute. She explores how companies can navigate ambiguity, balance speed with responsibility, and design products that earn long-term trust across cultures and geographies, while also reflecting on leadership in uncertain moments and why empowering teams, not having all the answers, is what truly defines effective leaders. We cover: Why legal strategy should be embedded into business and product decisions from day oneLessons from scaling WhatsApp globally across complex regulatory environmentsHow trust is built through product design, not just policyThe myth that “good tech wins” and why global success is also political and culturalDesigning for different cultural norms, user expectations, and regulatory systemsTrade-offs between speed and safety and how to make reasoned risk decisionsWhy regulation can be a foundation for growth, not just a constraintBuilding industry-wide frameworks like in consumer health data to earn user trustLeadership in ambiguity and creating context instead of providing answersThe importance of reflection, focus, and decision-making under uncertainty This episode is a deep dive into what it takes to build responsibly at scale and how trust, when treated as a core design principle, becomes a company’s most durable advantage. FOLLOW TINA HWANG Book- Careless People ⁠Tina Hwang LinkedIn⁠ ⁠ClassDojo LinkedIn⁠ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS ⁠Newsletter⁠ YouTube: ⁠@firstbuilderspod⁠ Instagram: ⁠@thecouncilcapital⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠@first_builders_⁠ TikTok:⁠ @firstbuilderspod⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠The Council⁠

    54 min
  3. Rebuilding the Safety Net: Siran Cao on Benefits Access, Care Infrastructure, and Founder Resilience

    16 MARS

    Rebuilding the Safety Net: Siran Cao on Benefits Access, Care Infrastructure, and Founder Resilience

    In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Siran Cao, Co-Founder and CEO of Mirza, a company simplifying how families access public benefits. Inspired by her childhood navigating fragmented systems and later by scaling frontline operations at Uber, Siran is on a mission to modernize the safety net with dignity at its core. Mirza offers a streamlined, mobile-first platform that helps families apply for childcare, nutrition, and health benefits through one unified experience. Siran explains why the care economy is not just a social issue, but critical workforce infrastructure. When childcare is inaccessible, labor participation declines. When benefits are too complex, billions go unclaimed. This conversation explores what it takes to build in a shifting policy landscape and how technology can help restore trust in the systems families rely on. We cover: The “benefits cliff” and how current systems discourage upward mobilityDesigning for dignity when serving families who have been failed by institutionsWhy trust, not just awareness, is the real barrier in benefits accessNavigating legacy government systems built on decades-old infrastructureExpanding from childcare to nutrition and healthcare benefits without losing focusTranslating impact into economic data for policymakers and partnersLessons from early Uber: moving fast without asking permission and knowing when not to be combativeFounder mental health, responsibility, and the weight of building mission-driven companiesWhy care work is foundational workforce infrastructure and largely AI-proofThis episode is a powerful look at building technology in service of equity and at what it takes to lead with conviction when the stakes are both deeply personal and nationally consequential. FOLLOW SIRAN CAO Website: heymirza.com FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    42 min
  4. Empathy Meets Execution: Duanni Hurd on Shifting from Hardware Executive to Scaling Home Care

    2 MARS

    Empathy Meets Execution: Duanni Hurd on Shifting from Hardware Executive to Scaling Home Care

    In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Duanni Hurd, Founder and CEO of Starlight Caregivers, to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a business in one of the most essential and human industries: caregiving. Duanni shares her unconventional path from global hardware and graphics companies during Silicon Valley’s golden era to founding and leading a concierge home care organization serving aging adults and people with disabilities across the Bay Area. Drawing from her experience at Acer, ATI/AMD, and multinational OEM environments, she reflects on how lessons in execution, cross-functional alignment, and resilience translated into building a 24/7 healthcare operation from the ground up. Now, more than 13 years into building Starlight Caregivers, Duanni discusses the realities of running a mission-critical service business, leading through COVID, earning trust in deeply personal moments of families’ lives, and why empathy is not just a value but an operating advantage. The conversation also explores scaling challenges in the care economy, the limits of “Uberizing” healthcare, responsible uses of AI, and how writing, the arts, and yoga shape her leadership philosophy. Why empathy is a competitive advantage in essential industriesLessons from global tech leadership that translate to caregivingThe “speeding ticket” lesson: moving fast without leaving your team behindLeading through crisis during COVID in a 24/7 healthcare operationWhy scaling caregiving is harder than scaling softwareThe limits of automation and where AI can responsibly support careBuilding trust with families in high-stakes, end-of-life environmentsWriting, policy engagement, and community leadership beyond the companyBalancing long-term entrepreneurship with personal resilience and wellness This episode is a thoughtful conversation about building in the care economy, leading with humility, and creating impact that extends far beyond financial returns. FOLLOW DUANNI HURD Website: https://starlightcaregivers.com Instagram: @duannihurd and @duanniduanni FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    50 min
  5. The Assembly Economy: Filip Aronshtein on Trust, Manufacturing Systems, and Reindustrialization

    16 FÉVR.

    The Assembly Economy: Filip Aronshtein on Trust, Manufacturing Systems, and Reindustrialization

    In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Filip Aronshtein, Founder and CEO of Dirac, to unpack what it takes to create software for the physical world and why assembly, not just design or production, is the missing layer in modern manufacturing. Fil shares his path from neuroscience labs and defense research into entrepreneurship, including work on brain computer interfaces, radar systems, and classified hardware programs. He reflects on why he has consistently gravitated toward technically demanding problems, how an early healthcare hardware venture shaped his views on responsibility and risk, and what is at stake if the West continues to lose hands on manufacturing expertise. At Dirac, Filip is developing an automated work instruction and assembly platform that translates CAD designs into executable, shop floor ready workflows. The conversation explores the realities of shipping software into hardware first industries, earning credibility with legacy manufacturers, navigating long sales cycles, and designing systems that extend rather than disrupt existing infrastructure. They also discuss leadership evolution, founder psychology, hiring for high agency, and why reshoring and reindustrialization must be cultural shifts as much as technical ones. Topics covered include: Why assembly is the most underestimated constraint in manufacturingInsights from working across defense, healthcare, and industrial systemsWhat high agency teams look like in practiceEstablishing trust in mission critical factory environmentsBridging the gap between hardware timelines and software velocityReindustrialization, reshoring, and restoring manufacturing capabilityWhen execution matters more than technical perfectionThe difference between elegant ideas and outcomes that scaleThis episode is a deep dive into creating resilient systems for the physical economy and leading with conviction, discipline, and a long term view of impact. FOLLOW FILIP ARONSHSTEIN Website: https://www.diracinc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/filip-aronshtein/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/filarons FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    45 min
  6. From Google to Healthcare: Lina Scroggins on Product Leadership, Scale, and Building for Trust

    2 FÉVR.

    From Google to Healthcare: Lina Scroggins on Product Leadership, Scale, and Building for Trust

    In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Lina Scroggins, SVP and Chief Product Officer at Mercy, to explore what it means to build and lead product orgåanizations inside some of the most complex, high-stakes environments. Lina shares her journey spending nearly two decades at Google, where she helped build systems and teams during the company’s formative growth years, before transitioning into healthcare. She reflects on what changes when products are no longer abstract software experiences but tools that directly affect patients, providers, and underserved communities. Now at Mercy, one of the 15 largest health systems in the United States, Lina is focused on unifying consumer-facing and clinical technology to deliver a more seamless patient experience, particularly across rural America. The conversation dives into product leadership at scale, operating within regulated environments, aligning data and infrastructure, and building trust-driven technology where failure is not an option. Topics covered include: What early Google taught Lina about scaling systems and organizationsTransitioning from consumer tech to healthcare and what fundamentally changesBuilding product strategy in regulated, mission-critical environmentsDesigning technology that earns trust from both patients and providersLeading through ambiguity and aligning teams around long-term impactWhy healthcare product leaders must think beyond speed and featuresServing rural and underserved populations through thoughtful technologyThis episode is a deep dive into product leadership with real-world consequences, and what it takes to build durable systems that truly serve people. FOLLOW LINA SCROGGINS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lina-scroggins/ ·       Mercy Leadership Team ·       Mercy.net ·       MyMercy app ·       Mercy Quick Facts Scroggins, now part of the Mercy leadership team, will be leading efforts to strengthen the health system’s digital experience, including Mercy.net and MyMercy app. Mercy is one of the15 largest U.S. health systems and serves millions across multiple states, operating one of the nation’s largest, highest‑performing Accountable Care Organizations. FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

    42 min
  • 6 épisodes

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À propos

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.

Informations

  • Création
    The Council
  • Années d’activité
    2025 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    6
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © 2026 First Builders