"Request for Startups" with Erik Torenberg Turpentine

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Joe Fernandez : Co-Founder and CEO of allUP, Former CEO and Co-Founder at Joymode and Klout, @JoeFernandez on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Joe Fernandez, Co-Founder and CEO of allUP, joins Erik Torenberg as he discusses building in the online reputation space. They explore the ever-increasing importance of trust in the age of AI and the unique challenges of building a startup in this space, potential data businesses that could be built on top of reputation, and more. 
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:27) Klout’s journey
(02:00) Importance of online reputation
(05:13) Navigating the idea maze
(10:43) Professional networks
(12:45) Sponsor: Turpentine
(13:33) Exploring different modalities and data sources
(17:12) Future of reputation data
(22:03) Reflecting on Klout and lessons learned
(23:57) Building first-party data with allUp
(27:35) Wrap—
Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Gagan Biyani : CEO and Co-Founder at Maven, Previously Co-Founder at Udemy @gaganbiyani on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Erik Torenberg sits down with Gagan Biyani to explore idea formation and the five stages of the ideation process. Gagan also shares his startup ideas, such as 'Quora for people' and 'reference checks as a service,' discussing their potential for scalability and venture backing.
Subscribe to our substack: Requestforstartups.substack.com
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:28) Deep Dive into Idea Generation
(05:20) Five-Step Framework to Startup Ideas
(07:13) Testing and Evaluating Startup Ideas
(13:18) Sponsor: Turpentine
(17:31) Potential startup ideas
(20:23) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Nick DeWilde: Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at Exec. @nick_dewilde on X
* Sean Linehan: CEO at  Exec and Squad. @seanlinehan on X
* Justin Mares: Founder at Truemed, Kettle & Fire, and Surely. A venture Partner at Long Journey Ventures. @jwmares on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, recorded in early 2023, Erik sits down with friends Nick DeWilde, Sean Linehan, and Justin Mares to exchange startup ideas. Please note that this episode contains some humorous and thought-provoking discussions about unconventional business ideas.
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Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:33) Fake jobs for rich families
(05:29) Ending San Fransisco burglaries
(09:21) Better prenups
(11:42) Brunch x Benihana
(14:12) Sponsors: Turpentine
(14:56) Fit Club
(19:58) Justin's story from being a janitor at LA Fitness
(22:06) Generative AI applications
(32:42) Holistic fertility treatment
(37:49) Combining workspaces with other services
(40:14) Retraining software engineers
(42:31) Quora for people
(45:10) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Romeen Sheth: CEO of Metasys Technologies. @RomeenSheth on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
* Sean Linehan: CEO of Exec.com, previously VP Product at Flexport. @seanlinehan on X
In this conversation, recorded in mid-2023, Romeen Sheth, CEO of Metasys Technologies, joins Erik Torenberg and Sean Linehan to discuss the potential of blended AI and offshore labor for service businesses, his ideas for a Carta for non-venture, and utilizing a media company as a wedge into the expert network space.
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Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
SPONSOR:
This episode is brought to you by Brave. The tech world turns to the Brave browser for a private ad platform that respects user privacy. Brave Ads offers first-party targeting, and it’s been cookieless since day one. Join the future of advertising at https://brave.com/ads. Mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign.

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:23) Bridging Tech Investments and Service Businesses
(02:17) AI's Transformative Role in Scaling Service Businesses
(05:53) Blending AI and Human Intelligence
(12:28) Automation Consulting and the Power of AI
(15:45) Sponsor: Turpentine | Brave
(17:26) Potential of Digital Transformation
(26:19) Carta for Non-Venture Companies
(32:05) Shift Towards More Sustainable and Independent Business Models
(34:04) Impact of AI and Global Labor
(34:57) Rethinking Venture
(40:14) Innovating GLG & Tegus
(54:23) Media as a Wedge into Expert Networks
(58:01) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Mike Maples,Jr: Founder of Floodgate and Host of the Starting Greatness podcast. @m2jr on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Erik Torenberg sits down with Mike Maples, Founder of Floodgate, to discuss the idea maze, insight hacking, inflections, and effective leadership strategies. Mike also shares why uniqueness matters more than being the best. The conversation took place at a live event for On Deck in 2020.
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Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:33) The why behind “How to Build a Breakthrough”
(04:56) Motive power of startups
(12:32) Sponsor: Turpentine
(24:20) Insight hacking framework
(27:31) Exploring the Jobs-to-be-Done framework
(29:13) Navigating false positives and negatives in market insights
(30:23) The role of domain expertise in startup success
(39:59) Symptoms of a company that is not succeeding
(49:14) Choosing your market
(49:59) Finding your startup's niche
(56:04) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Avlok Kohli : CEO at AngelList, angel investor, advisor and repeat exits as a founder. @avlok on X
* David Booth : Co-founder & Chairman of On Deck, Formerly at AngelList, Carta @david__booth on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Avlok Kohli and David Booth join Erik Torenberg to do a dive deep on Founder-Market fit, startup moats, and the 'dislocation' caused by AI which could change business ideation, internal operations, and startup generation. Note this conversation was recorded in mid-2023.
Mentioned in this episode:
* Alek Koenig (@AlekKoenig)’s company Settle: www.settle.com
* On Deck’s ODF program for founders www.beondeck.com/revolution
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SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by Brave. The tech world turns to the Brave browser for a private ad platform that respects user privacy. Brave Ads offers first-party targeting, and it’s been cookieless since day one. Join the future of advertising at https://brave.com/ads. Mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:21) Navigating the Idea Maze
(04:46) Founder-Market Fit Case Study: Alek Koenig of Settle
(09:15) Sponsors: Brave | Turpentine
(12:54) Litmus Test for Startup Success
(17:00) Why Now is the Time to Build
(23:23) Avlok’s Strategy as AngelList CEO
(26:56) The Compound Startup Strategy i.e. Rippling
(29:27) Sunsetting
(34:22) Areas Ripe for Exploration
(44:15) Navigating Competition with Incumbents
(49:45) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com