Supra Insider

Marc Baselga, Ben Erez

A podcast for product leaders inspired by discussions in the Supra product community, hosted by Marc Baselga and Ben Erez. suprainsider.substack.com

  1. #91: How pre-seed investors evaluate startup moats in the AI era | Itamar Novick (Founder & General Partner @ Recursive Ventures)

    13H AGO

    #91: How pre-seed investors evaluate startup moats in the AI era | Itamar Novick (Founder & General Partner @ Recursive Ventures)

    What actually makes a startup defensible anymore, especially when anyone can build a product overnight with AI? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Itamar Novick, founder of Recursive Ventures and longtime operator-turned-investor, to unpack how moats are changing in the AI era and what founders (and senior product leaders) need to internalize if they want to build enduring companies. Itamar draws from over 25 years across product leadership, company-building, and early-stage investing to explain why defensibility matters earlier than most founders think, how traditional moats (marketplaces, SaaS velocity, network effects) still apply, and why AI radically compresses time-to-competition. He breaks down how Recursive Ventures evaluates teams, TAM, and moats at the pre-seed stage, why velocity has become a core signal, and how the venture model itself is being reshaped by smaller teams, faster execution, and lower capital requirements. The conversation also goes deep on founder decision-making: how to choose early investors, why community itself can be a moat, what good vs bad VCs look like when companies fail, and why product leaders should seriously consider jumping into AI-native environments, even if it means a short-term step down. If you’re a product leader thinking about founding a company, advising startups, or staying relevant in the next decade, this episode offers a clear, opinionated framework for navigating what’s changed and what still matters. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (05:34) Itamar’s path from VC to operator and back, and why credibility matters in early-stage investing * (09:45) Why Itamar looks for moats even at pre-seed * (12:50) Classic pre-AI moats: marketplaces, SaaS velocity, and network effects * (19:21) How Recursive Ventures evaluates Team, TAM, and Moat at inception * (21:44) Vibe coding and the collapse of traditional barriers to entry * (26:38) How AI breaks traditional venture math, and why seed investing benefits * (30:07) How founders should choose their first investors * (34:49) Three types of VCs: helpers, neutral capital, and destructive investors * (44:13) How much to raise at pre-seed and what that capital is actually for * (51:10) Hiring for leverage: why AI-native mindset matters more than tenure * (54:27) Why working at AI-native companies compounds long-term career value * (57:23) Sales, distribution, and personal brand as differentiators * (1:00:25) How PMs can build sales and founder muscles intentionally * And more! Links: * Startup Anti-patterns by Itamar Novick: https://www.itamarnovick.com/category/anti-patterns/ * Itamar Novick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itamarnovick/ * Itamar’s X: https://x.com/Itamar_Novick * Recursive Ventures: https://www.recursiveventures.com/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and top-rated Maven course: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (selected by Lenny as a top course in product 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code `suprainsider` (auto-applied here). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 6m
  2. #90: How top PM candidates leverage recruiters to their advantage | Anneli Scopazzi (Founder @ Boulevard Recruiting, ex - Figma, Palantir, Notion)

    12/29/2025

    #90: How top PM candidates leverage recruiters to their advantage | Anneli Scopazzi (Founder @ Boulevard Recruiting, ex - Figma, Palantir, Notion)

    Most candidates treat recruiter calls like a box-checking step. But the candidates who consistently land offers treat recruiters like strategic partners - and use them to get real leverage throughout the process. In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with our repeat guest, Anneli Scopazzi (Boulevard Talent; former recruiting leader across Palantir, Figma, and Notion) to break down what recruiters are actually incentivized by, what they’re looking for in the recruiter screen, and how candidates can use recruiters to prepare more intelligently and avoid preventable missteps. They cover the difference between internal recruiters and agency recruiters, what gets candidates filtered out early, how to ask for “prep” without sounding insecure, what to do when a company refuses to share details, and how to handle compensation conversations without accidentally anchoring yourself into a worse outcome. They also discuss when to save sensitive questions for the offer stage, and how recruiters influence the process behind the scenes (feedback, debriefs, and closing). If you’re interviewing in today’s competitive market, especially for product roles, this episode gives you a tactical playbook for turning recruiters into an advantage instead of an afterthought. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (02:25) Why candidates hesitate- fear of looking bad, mistrust, and cultural differences around recruiters * (06:20) Internal recruiters vs agency recruiters and how incentives differ * (09:04) Reading the room and adapting to the person, “mirror” without being inauthentic * (11:15) The biggest recruiter-screen failure mode for PMs * (14:11) What makes a recruiter champion you? Homework, kindness, calibrated confidence, and being human * (19:16) The most important high-leverage questions to ask recruiters * (22:04) Asking about compensation in recruiter screens and when to share your number * (26:54) “Do you have concerns about me?” question: value + risk, and safer alternative framing * (33:01) The advantage of pre-onsite “prep call” call with the recruiter * (44:41) Offer stage strategy, save sensitive questions for when you have leverage; recruiter’s job is to close * Live Audience Q&A: * (49:39) Why recruiters view your LinkedIn but don’t reach out + how targeting works * (51:05) What decides between final candidates: rapport/working relationship + reducing bias where possible * (53:01) Recruiter “How did it go?” email: why it’s a best practice and a chance to clarify/repair an answer * (54:30) Risk of hiring manager + IC in parallel: why it happens and when it signals “house on fire” * (57:38) Market shift: managers moving back to IC roles + how to explain that story credibly * And more! Links: * Our previous episode with Anneli: https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/82-inside-the-new-recruiting-reality * Anneli Scopazzi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneliscopazzi/ * Boulevard recruiting: https://www.boulevardrecruiting.com/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and top-rated Maven course: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (selected by Lenny as a top course in product 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code `suprainsider` (auto-applied here). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1 hr
  3. #89: The hidden role of rituals in Duolingo's product culture | Nickey Skarstad (Director of Product @ Duolingo, ex-Airbnb, Etsy)

    12/22/2025

    #89: The hidden role of rituals in Duolingo's product culture | Nickey Skarstad (Director of Product @ Duolingo, ex-Airbnb, Etsy)

    What does it take to build products that feel thoughtful, emotionally resonant, and unmistakably high-quality, especially inside a company that ships fast and experiments constantly? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc and Ben sit down with Nickey Skarstad, Director of Product at Duolingo, to unpack how one of the world’s most beloved consumer apps maintains its bar for craft, clarity, and delight while operating at massive scale. Nickey shares how Duolingo operationalizes quality across teams, how they dogfood relentlessly, and why “unreasonable hospitality” applies just as much to software as it does to service. She also shares the internal rituals Duolingo uses - like their “hot trash” Friday forum for sharing early experiments, and how these lightweight mechanisms help PMs, designers, and engineers learn from each other. Nickey walks through Duolingo’s product review process, how senior leaders give feedback, and how the company ensures teams move quickly without shipping work that falls below their quality standards. Whether you’re a PM trying to strengthen your intuition, a design-driven leader aiming for higher quality bars, or a product builder exploring how AI should (and shouldn’t) fit into your workflow, this episode is full of concrete lessons you can use immediately. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:35) How Nickey keeps up with AI: newsletters, podcasts, internal Slack channels, and intentional learning time * (07:15) Internal rituals for sharing AI learnings: Slack posts, demos, and Duolingo’s “hot trash” culture * (11:12) Duolingo’s product review process as a mechanism for scaling quality and judgment * (14:12) How Duolingo balances speed (“clock speed”) with rigorous product reviews * (23:31) What makes feedback actually useful—and when it should block shipping * (29:05) The importance of heavy dogfooding for generative AI experiences * (32:22) Turning product taste into evaluators for non-deterministic systems * (37:50) Why slapping “AI” into marketing often hurts more than it helps * (41:52) How to intentionally develop better product taste * (51:28) Why AI has re-energized builders and product teams * (55:01) Why hobbies, fiction, and being “in the world” matter for product taste * (58:40) Nickey’s closing advice: investing in taste is never wasted time * And more! Links: * Nickey’s Newsletter: https://nickey.substack.com/ * Nickey Skarstad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickeyskarstad/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ Resources Mentioned: * Duolingo’s Product Review Process: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-product-review-works-sneak-peek-key-decision-making-process-lnpoe/ * Peter Yang Podcast: https://creatoreconomy.so/ * Lenny’s Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/ * Book Suggestions: * The Thursday Murder Club - recommended by Nickey * Hyperion - recommended by Ben If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and top-rated Maven course: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (selected by Lenny as a top course in product 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code `suprainsider` (auto-applied here). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 3m
  4. #88: How to accelerate your company's AI adoption with a 5-day hackathon | Gaurav Hardikar (VP Product & Growth @ HomeLight)

    12/15/2025

    #88: How to accelerate your company's AI adoption with a 5-day hackathon | Gaurav Hardikar (VP Product & Growth @ HomeLight)

    Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube What actually changes inside a product and engineering org when a company commits to becoming AI-native—not as a side project, but as the new operating system? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc and Ben sit down with Gaurav Hardikar, VP of Product at HomeLight, to unpack the company’s ambitious transformation: an executive team hackathon, ten AI initiatives across tech debt and product debt, and a completely new way of scoping, shipping, and collaborating across product, engineering, and design. Gaurav walks through how HomeLight reshaped their workflows to move dramatically faster, built an AI-powered scoping assistant that consolidates inputs across functions, and created a shared “source of truth” that removes one of the biggest product bottlenecks—misalignment. He also introduces a brand-new role inside the org: the AI Product Builder—what it is, why PMs can’t do all of it, and the skills that separate great builders from average ones as AI-native development becomes standard. Whether you’re a product leader trying to accelerate your roadmap, an engineer rethinking how AI changes execution, or a PM who wants to understand what skills will still matter in an AI-native world, this episode gives a practical, inside-the-org look at what real transformation requires. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:52) How HomeLight’s AI efforts started: chat, voice, and agent coaching tools * (07:32) The moment leadership realized the org needed to rethink how it works * (12:31) Three process initiatives: the design system, scoped workflows, and automated analytics * (17:53) The #1 pain point in traditional scoping: misalignment * (26:23) Where VPs should insert themselves in the workflow (and where they shouldn’t) * (36:10) Why specs die but scope lives on—defining what’s in, out, and why * (38:10) The dangers of overbuilding before you prototype * (41:19) Introducing the new AI Product Builder role at HomeLight and the traits that make someone great at it * (49:48) How zero-to-one projects graduate—or get collapsed into something simpler * (53:27) The “last mile” problem: QA, edge cases, and Slack interface constraints * (58:37) Leadership’s role in creating psychological safety for experimentation * (1:06:32) Final lessons and what HomeLight wants to learn from other AI-native orgs * And more! Links: * Gaurav Hardikar Newsletter: https://www.insidergrowthhq.com/ * Gaurav Hardikar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghardikar/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and top-rated Maven course: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (selected by Lenny as a top course in product 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code `suprainsider` (auto-applied here). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 9m
  5. #87: WTF is "Product Taste" and unpacking the PM hype around it | Sachin Rekhi (AI course creator, founder, ex-LinkedIn product leader)

    12/08/2025

    #87: WTF is "Product Taste" and unpacking the PM hype around it | Sachin Rekhi (AI course creator, founder, ex-LinkedIn product leader)

    Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube If you’ve been hearing phrases like “taste is the only thing that will matter for PMs in the AI era” but aren’t sure what that actually means—or more importantly, how to build it—this episode is for you. In this conversation, Marc and Ben sit down with Sachin Rekhi, founder, former LinkedIn product leader, and creator of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, to unpack the real mechanics of taste: where it comes from, how to sharpen it, and why it’s already the defining skill of AI-native product teams. Sachin shares the frameworks he teaches inside companies and in his Reforge course—from Rick Rubin’s “sensitivity & canon” model, to daily design-critique habits, to the patterns he saw across design-driven, metrics-driven, strategy-driven, and sales-driven org cultures. He also tells the untold story of how Sales Navigator went from a tiny skunkworks project to one of LinkedIn’s biggest product lines—why social capital mattered, how he managed leadership skepticism, and how he used prototypes, real customer quotes, and narrative-building to secure executive conviction. Whether you’re trying to level up your product intuition, navigate organizational taste cultures, or use AI without slipping into “AI slop,” you’ll walk away with practical models you can apply immediately to your product work, leadership communication, and team workflows. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:01) Sachin’s definition of taste: the ability to recognize high-quality work across design, strategy, and problem selection * (05:36) Why taste matters today (AI slop, generic landing pages, low-quality code, and B-level writing) * (12:47) How to pair domain insight with AI to produce differentiated work * (15:28) Rick Rubin’s framework for building taste: sensitivity and consuming the canon * (28:06) Rick Rubin’s second pillar: consuming the canon of great work (design awards, shareholder letters, essays) * (32:42) Why leadership taste sets the bar—Steve Jobs, Johnny Ive, Bezos, Pincus, and metrics-driven cultures * (40:14) Finding your “product culture fit”: strategy-driven, design-driven, metrics-driven, or sales-driven orgs * (44:32) How Sachin used social capital, prototypes, and customer quotes to earn “rope” for Sales Navigator at LinkedIn * (52:47) Everything is selling: convincing execs, customers, and teams * (59:50) Using AI to craft executive memos—Bezos style guides, Paul Graham metaphors, punch-up techniques * (1:08:36) How customer quotes beat TAM slides—and why new markets look small at first * (1:20:39) Final lessons: conviction, customer obsession, and taste as a lifelong practice * And more! Links: * Sachin Rekhi’s course on Reforge: https://www.reforge.com/courses/ai-productivity * Sachin Rekhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinrekhi/ * David Hahn who supported Sachin in getting Sales Navigator off the ground: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwhahn/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and top-rated Maven course: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (selected by Lenny as a top course in product 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code `suprainsider` (auto-applied here). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 26m
  6. #86: How senior PMs get 10x leverage by “hiring” AI agents | Jacob Bank (Founder/CEO @ Relay.app)

    12/01/2025

    #86: How senior PMs get 10x leverage by “hiring” AI agents | Jacob Bank (Founder/CEO @ Relay.app)

    Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube In the first-ever live recording of Supra Insider, Marc and Ben sat down with Jacob Bank, founder of Relay.app, to unpack one of the most urgent questions facing product leaders today: How do AI agents actually change the way we work? Instead of abstract predictions, Jacob shares the very real workflows, failures, and breakthroughs behind running a 10-person company that delegates work to more than 300 AI agents. Across the conversation, the three dig into what PMs must learn next: writing job descriptions for agents, architecting responsibilities, managing automated execution, and understanding how agents influence velocity, product quality, and cross-functional collaboration. Jacob also discusses why PMs are lagging behind engineering and ops in adopting agentic workflows, and what will happen to teams who don’t catch up. If you’re a PM, founder, or operator trying to understand how AI is reshaping product development, or you’ve struggled to translate “agent hype” into concrete, repeatable workflows, this episode gives you a realistic, practitioner-level framework for building with agents today, and preparing for what’s coming next. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:27) Jacob’s background and why PMs should care about AI agents * (04:37) Why this session focuses on “hiring AI agents like employees” * (07:38) The AI org chart explained — the Reddit marketing agent * (15:05) Managing agent performance — firing, reviewing, and iterating * (18:39) The hype cycle — why “AI agents are real” matters * (25:55) What tasks should not be agents (one-offs, planning, magic tasks) * (33:13) Building an AI agent live * (37:42) Where agent outputs should land — Slack, Gmail, Docs * (46:54) The six agents every PM should “hire” today * (50:16) Deterministic vs agentic automations — the reliability spectrum * (55:19) Making agents work in enterprise environments with locked-down systems * (1:03:16) Live demo: Natural Language Builder using Relay.app * Live Audience Q&A: * (1:07:46) QA best practices — how to trust agents before delegating * (1:09:21) Cost breakdown — why credits don’t matter if value compounds * (1:12:16) The most expensive agent Jacob runs (customer health scoring * (1:13:45) Why simple feedback loops fail — thumbs up/down isn’t enough * (1:15:20) Agent drift, hallucination, precision, and the role of clarity * And more! Links: * Relay.app: https://www.relay.app/ * Six PM Agents (slides Jacob showed in the session): https://ggl.link/six-pm-agents * Jacob’s Maven Course: https://maven.com/jacob-bank/six-ai-agents-every-pm-needs/ * Jacob Bank: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobbank/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s 🤖 AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and self-paced course, Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (25% off with code `supra insider` auto-applied here). Featured in Lenny’s Newsletter 🔥 * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 23m
  7. #85: How to decide whether to start a course | Claire Chen (Growth @ Maven)

    11/24/2025

    #85: How to decide whether to start a course | Claire Chen (Growth @ Maven)

    Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube If you’ve ever wondered whether you could teach a course, how to validate demand for your expertise, or how AI is reshaping learning and personal brand building, this episode is for you. In this conversation, Marc and Ben sit down with Claire Chen, leading Growth at Maven and the person who originally recruited Ben to teach on the platform. Together, they unpack the real mechanics behind becoming a successful instructor - how to choose a topic, validate demand, build credibility, and grow a sustainable “portfolio career” alongside a full-time job. Claire shares the signals she looks for when sourcing new instructors, the biggest misconceptions operators have about teaching, and why course-based learning is booming right now. Whether you’re thinking about launching your first lightning lesson, building a personal brand, diversifying your income, or simply want an inside look at how Maven finds and supports world-class instructors, you’ll walk away with actionable frameworks, candid insights, and plenty of clarity on what it really takes to teach in the AI era. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (02:24) What Maven looks for when identifying strong instructors across functions * (05:00) Understanding topic–market fit and spotting demand before platforms do * (13:13) The rise of portfolio careers, fractional work, and diversified income streams * (19:55) The two levers that matter most: topic positioning and basic marketing instincts * (25:31) Lightning lessons: why they’re the highest-performing awareness tool * (30:10) How Claire discovers emerging ideas and standout operators * (37:01) Using AI for writing while preserving voice, taste, and human judgment * (47:06) Why humans must stay in the loop for hooks, taste, and direction * (56:37) How to choose the right course topic using expertise and emerging demand * (01:05:10) How to validate demand with posts, early signals, and lightning lessons * And more! Links: * Maven: https://maven.com/ * Claire’s Substack: Claire Is Working * Claire’s email:  claire@maven.com * Claire Chen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairechen56/ * Ben’s Maven course: https://maven.com/ben-erez/pm-interview * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s 🤖 AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and self-paced course, Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (25% off with code `fast25` until EOD Nov 24th). Featured in Lenny’s Newsletter 🔥 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 13m
  8. #84: How Reforge launched 5 AI products in 9 months with just 25 people | Brian Balfour (Founder/CEO @ Reforge)

    11/17/2025

    #84: How Reforge launched 5 AI products in 9 months with just 25 people | Brian Balfour (Founder/CEO @ Reforge)

    Listen now: Spotify, Apple and YouTube If you’re a product leader trying to navigate the shift from single-product focus to a broader portfolio—or wondering how AI is reshaping execution, team design, and strategic planning—this episode is for you. In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc and Ben sit down with Brian Balfour, CEO of Reforge, to explore how product orgs can expand into multi-product portfolios without losing focus, momentum, or clarity. Brian shares how his team shipped five new products in under a year, what most companies miss when trying to adopt AI, and how to avoid common traps like “Frankenstein workflows” and slow-to-die experiments. From deciding when to build vs. buy, to managing zero-to-one teams in parallel, to evaluating strategic threats in the AI era—this conversation is packed with practical frameworks and hard-earned lessons. You’ll hear Brian’s candid takes on M&A, cross-functional execution, PM bottlenecks, and the future of product development when language, code, and design start to collapse into one. Whether you’re expanding your roadmap, building AI-native products, or simply trying to execute faster with fewer resources, this one’s worth a listen. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Interviewing at Uber, Figma, Stripe, or DoorDash? If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, Stripe, and DoorDash… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:44) The gap between learning and executing—why Reforge moved into tools * (07:04) How small teams shipped four products in nine months * (11:26) Brian’s framework for the three biggest AI-era threats * (17:40) Build vs. buy decisions—and the case for “outsourced R&D” * (25:21) The three product-market fit expansion paths * (32:51) How Reforge thinks about startup acquisitions * (37:56) Detecting burnout and evaluating founder fit * (50:04) Betting on multiple products instead of a single moonshot * (57:51) AI Frankenstein workflows—and what’s coming next * (1:05:22) The blurry future of design, code, and language merging * (1:13:45) Why copying your product into new platforms doesn’t work * And more! Links: * Reforge: https://www.reforge.com/ * Reforge Build (new prototyping product): https://www.reforge.com/build * Brian’s Website: https://brianbalfour.com/ * Brian Balfour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Preparing for Meta-style Product Sense & Analytical Thinking interviews? Check out Ben’s 🤖 AI Practice Copilot for Meta-Style PM Interviews and self-paced course, Product Sense & Analytical Thinking Bootcamp for Meta-Style PM Interviews (25% off with code `fast25` until Nov 23rd). Featured in Lenny’s Newsletter 🔥 * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% in some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

    1h 18m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A podcast for product leaders inspired by discussions in the Supra product community, hosted by Marc Baselga and Ben Erez. suprainsider.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Marc Baselga, Ben Erez
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ben Erez & Marc Baselga
  • Show Website
    Supra Insider

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