A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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Every founder has 1 goal: find product-market fit. We interview the world's most successful startup founders on the 0 to 1 part of their journeys. We've had the founders of Reddit, Gusto, Rappi, Glean, Cohere, Huntress, ID.me and many more. We go deep with entrepreneurs & VCs to provide detailed examples you can steal.  Our goal is to understand product-market fit better than anyone on the planet. Rated one of the world's top startup podcasts.

  1. She raised $1.3M, delivered real value—but still failed. Here’s what happened. | Mary Beth Snodgrass, Founder of Healthiby

    15시간 전

    She raised $1.3M, delivered real value—but still failed. Here’s what happened. | Mary Beth Snodgrass, Founder of Healthiby

    Mary Beth Snodgrass shares the raw and real story behind Healthiby—an innovative healthcare startup that succeeded in delivering measurable health outcomes but ultimately failed commercially. Hear firsthand what went wrong, from unclear payer dynamics and sales friction, to macroeconomic shifts and storytelling gaps. This episode pulls back the curtain on why having a working product isn’t enough and why mastering the market dynamics is crucial to your startup’s survival. Why You Should Listen Learn why even successful products can fail if the payer isn’t clearly defined.Understand the hidden hurdles in long sales cycles.Discover why storytelling and personal founder journeys are key.See how market timing and macro changes can dramatically impact your startup’s trajectory.Avoid the pitfalls of focusing solely on solving problems without a robust go-to-market strategy.Keywords product market fit, healthcare startups, startup failure, go-to-market strategy, founder advice, chronic conditions, startup storytelling, B2B sales, health tech, behavior change 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:04 Pivoting Fast 00:06:16 Finding Initial Users 00:08:53 Building a Behavior Change Product 00:13:55 Why We Failed 00:17:48 Navigating Complex Sales Models 00:19:56 Key Lessons 00:22:45 Final Advice for Early Stage Founders Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    24분
  2. He went viral at 11 y/o—built the world's best dictation app, then raised a $30M Series A. | Tanay Kothari, Founder of Wispr Flow

    3일 전

    He went viral at 11 y/o—built the world's best dictation app, then raised a $30M Series A. | Tanay Kothari, Founder of Wispr Flow

    Tanay started coding at 10, built a product with millions of users by 11, and never stopped. In this episode, he shares how he created Wispr Flow—one of the fastest growing AI startups today. He's built the world's best voice to text app. I use it myself every single day. And he just raised a $30M Series A from Menlo Ventures  This is a must-listen for any founder obsessed with building something users can’t live without. Why You Should Listen How Tanay built one of the world’s first voice assistants at 11—and what it taught him about startups.Why most founders get product-market fit wrong The critical mistake that almost killed Wispr AIThe one thing Tanay wishes he’d known about building a startup team five years ago.Keywords product market fit, AI startup, Wispr Flow, Tanay Kothari, founder stories, startup pivot, voice interface, building teams, hyper-growth startup, deep tech startup 00:00:00 Intro 00:07:22 Learning to Code in Secret 00:13:27 From New Delhi to Stanford and Silicon Valley 00:17:34 Feather X—Tanay’s First Big Startup Exit 00:24:33 The Original Moonshot Vision of Wispr AI 00:31:19 Why Wispr AI Had to Pivot 00:38:32 The Power of Incremental Change Over Radical Shifts 00:43:00 Achieving Explosive Growth and True Product-Market Fit 00:49:01 The Most Important Lesson—Building the Right Team Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    51분
  3. PMF Observations: Why after PMF, every problem is a people problem.

    7월 24일

    PMF Observations: Why after PMF, every problem is a people problem.

    We go through some lessons I learned from my own startup journey. I also go through  why almost every business challenge beyond product-market fit is actually a people issue—and how to quickly spot and fix these hidden problems. You’ll learn why staying in direct contact with your customers accelerates your path to true product-market fit, and hear a powerful story of how making something radically different—even free—can disrupt entire industries and create massive competitive moats. Why You Should Listen Discover the #1 reason your startup’s growth might be stallingLearn why staying hands-on with sales longer accelerates finding PMFFind out how to instantly identify if your team members are truly A-players.Uncover the hidden power of making your product free—even when competitors think you’re crazy.Understand why radically different strategies beat incremental improvements every time.Keywords product market fit, startup hiring, startup growth, founder lessons, free business model, early stage sales, team building, radical differentiation, founder mistakes, scaling startups 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:21 Every Startup Problem is Actually a People Problem 00:05:56 How to Identify Great Talent Without Hiring 00:07:10 Why Founders Should Stay in Sales Longer 00:09:35 Subtle Details are The Key to True Product Market Fit 00:12:24 Zeffy and the Hidden Power of Being Radically Different 00:17:00 The ROI of Being Uniquely Different Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    18분
  4. How Mercury Hit $500M ARR—then raised $300M from Sequoia at $3.5B. | Immad Akhund, CEO & Founder of Mercury

    7월 21일

    How Mercury Hit $500M ARR—then raised $300M from Sequoia at $3.5B. | Immad Akhund, CEO & Founder of Mercury

    Immad grew Mercury to $500M in annualized revenue and profitable. Mercury is one of the fastest-growing fintech startups ever. No wonder they just raised $300M from Sequoia at $3.5B.  Immad breaks down exactly how he structured a viral launch, why fundraising is easier with zero customers than you think, and how he unlocked massive word-of-mouth growth. If you’re building a startup, especially in fintech, you can’t miss this episode. Why You Should Listen How Mercury went from $0 to $1M ARR in just 5 monthsHow Mercury leveraged Twitter to explode user growth at launchWhy building with zero users might be your secret advantageWhy Immad believes defining company culture at employee #4 was critical to hitting $500M in revenueKeywords Mercury, Sequoia, Immad Akhund, startup fundraising, fintech startup, product market fit, neobank, early-stage growth, Y Combinator, banking as a service, startup culture 00:00:00 Intro 00:09:23 How Immad Validated the Idea for Mercury 00:17:53 Why Immad Turned Down VC to Start Another Company 00:28:11 How Immad Raised a $6M Seed Round Before Writing Any Code 00:36:08 Launching Mercury and Going Viral on Twitter 00:47:08 Knowing You Have Product Market Fit 00:51:48 Raising a $20M Series A Just 3 Weeks After Launch 00:53:10 The Importance of Defining Your Culture Early Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    55분
  5. Mike Maples: Your Startup Idea Isn’t Crazy Enough—And it's holding you back | Mike Maples, Founder of Floodgate

    7월 17일

    Mike Maples: Your Startup Idea Isn’t Crazy Enough—And it's holding you back | Mike Maples, Founder of Floodgate

    Ever wonder why some startups follow every “right” rule and still fail, while others break every norm and dominate? Mike Maples (Floodgate, author of Pattern Breakers) reveals how true breakthrough startups aren’t built by checking boxes—they’re created by founders bold enough to reject consensus, ignore conventional wisdom, and rewrite the rules entirely.  This episode explains why your biggest risk isn’t failure, it’s wasting years on the wrong idea. If you want to build something people are desperate for, not just mildly interested in, Mike’s insights will change how you think about startup success. Why You Should Listen How to know if your startup idea is worth years of your life—or if it’s secretly wasting your time.Why “non-consensus and right” ideas create billion-dollar breakthroughs.How raising too much money too soon can sabotage product-market fit.The difference between playing by market rules and inventing your own.Why the best startup ideas polarize rather than please everyone.Keywords product market fit, startup ideas, breakthrough startups, seed funding, Mike Maples, lean startup, inflection points, AI startups, zero to one, startup growth 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:12 The Real Reason “Pattern Breakers” Win 00:12:00 Stop Finding Problems Start Living in the Future 00:21:23 Why Most Founders Play the Wrong Game 00:31:01 How to Know You’re Actually in the Future 00:36:38 The Hidden Cost of Raising Too Much Money 00:46:20 The True Purpose of Your First Million in ARR 00:50:58 Three Tests to Know You’ve Found Product Market Fit Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    58분
  6. How he grew to $100M ARR—then exited for $460M. | Zuben Matthews, Founder of Brigit

    7월 14일

    How he grew to $100M ARR—then exited for $460M. | Zuben Matthews, Founder of Brigit

    Zuben turned his personal experience with crippling overdraft fees into Brigit, a fintech he sold for $460 million after hitting $100M ARR. This episode gives early-stage founders the unfiltered truth: how Zuben discovered massive market pain hidden in plain sight, validated the idea with real customers, built bulletproof unit economics early, and navigated brutal early-stage fundraising. It’s a real story about solving problems banks deliberately ignore—and getting rewarded big time.  You don’t want to miss this. Why You Should Listen How Zuben turned a personal $1000 overdraft nightmare into a $460M exit.Why solving your customer’s deepest pain point is the only way to unlock real growth.How to validate product-market fit fast (and what most founders miss).The surprising reason Zuben says unit economics matter way earlier than you think.Keywords fintech, overdraft fees, product market fit, earned wage access, early stage startups, customer validation, fundraising, founder stories, lending, unit economics 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:47 Inside the Hidden Overdraft Market 00:16:34 Validating Your Idea the Right Way 00:27:37 How Brigit Cracked Customer Acquisition 00:33:38 Why Unit Economics Saved Us 00:37:08 Navigating a Crisis and Coming Out Stronger 00:45:14 Behind the Scenes of a $460 Million Acquisition 00:48:57 The Moment of True Product Market Fit 00:50:22 Advice Every Early-Stage Founder Needs Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    51분
  7. He Hit $3.5M ARR and Still Failed. Here’s His #1 Mistake. | Joseph Lee, Founder of Freshline

    7월 10일

    He Hit $3.5M ARR and Still Failed. Here’s His #1 Mistake. | Joseph Lee, Founder of Freshline

    Joseph built Freshline to $3.5 million in revenue and nearly $2 million raised. It looked like a marketplace success story—until it wasn’t. In this episode, Joe shares the hidden reasons marketplaces fail, critical lessons on how to spot the right market, and why traction alone doesn’t guarantee success. It’s a raw, real look at what happens when hype meets reality. Why You Should Listen How a $3.5M startup stalled despite tractionHard lessons on finding the right marketThe hidden traps of marketplacesWhy staying gritty isn’t always enoughPainkillers vs. Vitamins Rethinking Startup AdviceKeywords marketplace, product market fit, startup failure, raising capital, entrepreneurship, founder advice, traction, B2B SaaS, early-stage startup, growth challenges 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:10 Crashing the Boston Seafood Expo 00:08:25 From Shopify to Marketplace 00:12:40 Door-to-Door Fish Sales 00:17:55 Hidden Risks of Marketplace Models 00:23:05 Cracks Emerge at $3.5M Revenue 00:26:45 COVID Hits and the Pivot Begins 00:30:50 Why Market Matters More Than Grit 00:32:55 Rethinking Painkillers vs Vitamins 00:35:30 Staying Alive Long Enough to Win Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    37분
  8. 1st-time founder raises $140M with $0 revenue—grows to 800 employees & profitable. | Andrew Rubin, Founder of Illumio

    7월 3일

    1st-time founder raises $140M with $0 revenue—grows to 800 employees & profitable. | Andrew Rubin, Founder of Illumio

    Andrew Rubin raised $40M in 6 months before writing a single line of code—and another $100M before seeing his first dollar of revenue. Today, Illumio is valued at billions and counts Morgan Stanley among its earliest customers. But Andrew’s journey wasn’t smooth or easy. Listen in to learn how he navigated the fine line between being early and being too early, how he raised venture capital at unprecedented speed, and why he believes an entrepreneur’s conviction—backed by customer insights—is the real key to startup survival. Why You Should Listen How to raise $40M in 6 months with no product or revenueWhy “too early” often means bankrupt—and how to avoid itWhy activity ≠ funding (and what to do instead)The hard truth about selling enterprise earlyWhy market timing matters more than product geniusKeywords product market fit, fundraising, early-stage startups, startup fundraising, venture capital, enterprise sales, market timing, Andrew Rubin, Illumio, cybersecurity 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:15 Why Being Early Can Bankrupt You 00:16:09 Creating a Market That Doesn’t Exist 00:27:55 Activity Does Not Equal Funding 00:38:06 Landing the First Enterprise Customer 00:49:57 Surviving Enterprise Sales Cycles 00:54:56 Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster 01:00:46 The Truth About Product Market Fit 01:01:55 Andrew Rubin’s Best Advice for Early Founders Send me a message to let me know what you think!

    1시간 3분
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Every founder has 1 goal: find product-market fit. We interview the world's most successful startup founders on the 0 to 1 part of their journeys. We've had the founders of Reddit, Gusto, Rappi, Glean, Cohere, Huntress, ID.me and many more. We go deep with entrepreneurs & VCs to provide detailed examples you can steal.  Our goal is to understand product-market fit better than anyone on the planet. Rated one of the world's top startup podcasts.

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