The MVP Pod

Mathusan Selvarajah & Harry Sivashankaran
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Podcast is the best podcast for those who love to talk about products and learn how to build them! Hosted by Mathusan and Harry, two friends that are building cool things in the tech industry.

Episodes

  1. 02/02/2024

    Ep 1.9 - HeyMilo: Unpacking the Impact of AI in Recruitment with Sabashan Ragavan

    In this episode of The MVP Pod, we are joined by Sabashan Ragavan, a co-founder of HeyMilo, a generative AI voice agent providing solutions for the recruitment industry. With Sabashan we get into the journey of making HeyMilo as well as the importance of AI in conducting efficient candidate evaluations. We also dive into the future of human-AI interaction and the potential challenges that come along with innovations in AI. The conversation even extends to operating in the B2B SaaS space, the relevance of shaping the product vision as per customer feedback, and tips for new founders. If this interests you, be sure to check out HeyMilo at https://heymilo.ai . As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or DM us⁠⁠ @m2s4n⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ @harrysiva_⁠⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠⁠ themvppod.com⁠⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    39 min

  2. 11/28/2023

    Ep 1.8 - Building Conviction and Finding Certainty: Exploring the idea of Negative One to Zero

    In this episode of the MVP Pod, we delve into an intriguing concept known as "going from -1 to 0." This concept was coined by Ruchi Sanghvi, the founder of South Park Commons. We were fascinated by this idea and believe it holds immense value for product builders and entrepreneurs. The idea of going from -1 to 0 refers to the initial phase where individuals strive to determine their path and what they want to accomplish in the next five to ten years of their lives. It's a period characterized by uncertainty, messiness, and confusion. According to Ruchi, this phase is often the most challenging part of entrepreneurship as it involves finding the right idea to pursue rather than achieving product-market fit. Check out the full article by Ruchi that sparked our conversation here. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us⁠⁠ @m2s4n⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ @harrysiva_⁠⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠⁠ themvppod.com⁠⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    21 min

  3. 08/01/2023

    Ep 1.7 - Your Brand is Your Compass: How to Build an Authentic Brand with Renga Founder Jared Henriques

    Jared & Renga: - ⁠Twitter (@JaredHenriques)⁠ - ⁠Renga (renga.co)⁠ Join us in episode 1.7 of The MVP Pod as we chat with Jared Henriques, founder of Renga, a leading brand agency. We explore Renga's success in helping clients like Float and ThreeShips raise over $250 million in capital through strategic branding. Jared shares insights on storytelling, their unique "brand therapy" process, and why a good brand is a compass. This episode is a must-listen for founders looking to differentiate their companies and master their go-to-market strategy. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us⁠⁠ @m2s4n⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ @harrysiva_⁠⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠⁠ themvppod.com⁠⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    51 min

  4. 07/17/2023

    Ep 1.6 - The Twitter Saga Continues: Instagram's Threads Comes for Twitter

    In this episode of The MVP Pod, we delve into the intriguing world of social media rivalry as Instagram throws its hat into the ring with the release of their new competitor to Twitter, Threads. Building upon our previous episode where we explored Twitter's captivating story as a company, we now shift our focus to the latest development in the ever-evolving landscape of social media. We examine the features, similarities, and key differentiators between the two platforms, exploring the strategic motivations behind Instagram's decision to come after Twitter. We also touch on the ongoing Zuck vs Elon drama, Zuck's personality rejuvenation, and more. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us⁠⁠⁠ @m2s4n⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ @harrysiva_⁠⁠⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠⁠⁠ themvppod.com⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    35 min

  5. 06/22/2023

    Ep 1.5 - How Uber Became a Unicorn: The Inside Story of Their Founding and Early Days

    In episode 1.5 of The MVP Pod, we take a look at the founding story of Uber and how they built their MVP. We discuss how Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp came up with the idea for Uber, how they raised their initial round of funding, and how they went about launching their service in San Francisco and New York. We also talk about the challenges they faced along the way, such as regulatory hurdles and competition from Lyft. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's interested in the history of Uber or the startup world in general. We'll give you a behind-the-scenes look at how Uber became a global transportation giant, and we'll share some insights that you can apply to your own business. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us⁠⁠ @m2s4n⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ @harrysiva_⁠⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠⁠ themvppod.com⁠⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    50 min

  6. 04/22/2023

    Ep 1.4 - The Future of Local Media and Advertising: Chris Dinn's Vision for Torontoverse and Beyond

    In episode 1.4 of The MVP Pod, we sit down with Chris Dinn, founder, and lead engineer of Torontoverse which is a local publication platform designed to empower local businesses and writers. Chris discusses the gap he noticed in the advertising space for local businesses, with Facebook currently being their only viable option, and how he aims to disrupt local media by leveraging open city datasets and building innovative tools for writers. He envisions the ideal Torontoverse user as someone who is curiosity-driven, data-driven, and not looking for conflict, striving to create "curiosity-driven informative media." Chris also shares insights on building an MVP using open data sets, targeting "lean forward users" who are actively searching for information, and employing direct response advertising to engage his audience. Inspired by his experience playing City Skylines, Chris talks about the challenges of building Torontoverse in 2023, its potential expansion, monetization strategies, and how to build an audience for a local publication in the age of digital media. He delves into competing against Facebook for local business advertising and his approach to building an MVP by staying lean and keeping a small, focused team. Finally, Chris touches on the impact of AI on journalism, sparking a fascinating discussion on how journalists are reacting to the advancements in AI that are disrupting their field. Join us for an engaging and informative conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of local media in the digital era. To learn more check out what Chris and the team are building at torontoverse.com, give them a follow @torontoverse on Twitter, and check out Chris's tweets @chrisdinn. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us⁠ @m2s4n⁠ and⁠ @harrysiva_⁠ with your feedback! Check out⁠ themvppod.com⁠ to learn more about the pod!

    54 min

  7. 03/23/2023

    Ep 1.3 - Differences between VC Backed and Bootstrapping, Building off of other platforms, Acquiring startups, Navigating the current economic climate with Chao Lam from Next Small Things

    In episode 1.3, we talk to Chao Lam, the founder of Next Small Things. Next Small Things is a company that develops and operates multiple consumer-oriented apps and websites, and one of their more prominent apps is the Thread Reader Twitter app. Which some of you may have used or seen while scrolling through your Twitter feeds. It's one of the first Twitter bots to address the readability of long ugly Twitter threads where the app unrolls these Twitter threads and displays them in an easy-to-read blog format. Chao has a really interesting background and he has essentially seen it all when it comes to founding and running internet businesses. Chao founded venture capital-backed companies such as ShoppingList and AdKnowledge during the dot-com boom, between 1996 and 2001. After this, he went on to explore different areas in tech, including working at eBay and leading product management at a nonprofit. Some topics we cover with Chao in this episode include, how to focus your efforts when bootstrapping, building on platforms such as Twitter, and evaluating when to acquire versus when to build. To wrap it up, we discuss how the current economic climate affects people that are currently building internet products and his advice for navigating this environment. Make sure to check out Chao's Substack, Next Small Things, if you want to learn more about Chao and what he has learned during his adventurous journey in, entrepreneurship, tech, and life. Also, don't forget to check out the Threadreader Twitter app if you haven't been using it already! As always, we constantly look to improve The MVP Pod as our goal is to make building successful products easier by sharing stories and learnings of other products and builders. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us @m2s4n and @harrysiva_ with your feedback! Check out themvppod.com to learn more about the pod!

    1h 7m

  8. 03/04/2023

    Ep 1.2 - Netflix Part 2 - Netflix’s Moat, Sustaining Growth Amidst Strong Competition from Disney / Amazon / HBO, and Frameworks for Product Decisions used at Netflix

    In Episode 1.2 of The MVP Pod, we build off of the previous episode on Netflix (Part 1) and dive deeper into how Netflix competes in 2023. We talk through the competitive advantages of Netflix compared to strong competition from streaming giants like Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO. This conversation includes the content differences between the streaming platform, how streaming can be bundled with other services, and how Netflix took an analytics approach to content creation and recommendation. We wrap up the conversation with key product decisions made at Netflix and how product leaders like Reed Hastings and Gibson Biddle made these decisions to shape Netflix’s future. As always, we constantly look to improve The MVP Pod to make it the best source for learning about building products. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us @m2s4n and @harrysiva_ with your feedback! Check out themvppod.com to learn more about the pod!

    42 min

  9. 03/04/2023

    Ep 1.2 - Netflix Part 1 - Netflix's Founding Story, Battling Blockbuster, Spinning off Roku, and Transforming into a Streaming Giant

    In Episode 1.2 of The MVP Pod, we talk about Netflix - from its inception to where it is today as a streaming giant. We start with the founding story of Netflix and the fierce competition between Netflix and Blockbuster in the DVD rentals business including pricing strategies, M&A activity, and the approach of their respective leadership teams with regard to digital platforms. We close off Part 1 by discussing how Netflix vertically integrated from being just a streaming platform to acquiring and creating original content with its own production studios. As always, we constantly look to improve The MVP Pod to make it the best source for learning about building products. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us @m2s4n and @harrysiva_ with your feedback! Check out themvppod.com to learn more about the pod!

    24 min

  10. 01/08/2023

    Ep 1.1 - Twitter's Story, The Digital Ads Industry, and Monetization Strategies

    In this episode, Harry and Mathusan talk about Twitter's story from its inception to Elon Musk's acquisition. They talk through early stories of Twitter, the current state of Twitter, the Ads Industry, and how Twitter's monetization strategy compares with other companies like Meta (Facebook / Instagram). They wrap up by playing a little game, where they give their take on how they'd bring Twitter to a profitable state as CEO of Twitter as that position is currently open. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod to make it the best source for learning about building products. We would appreciate it if you could tweet or dm us @m2s4n and @harrysiva_ with your feedback!

    48 min

  11. 12/05/2022

    Ep 1.0 - Building in MedTech, Creating MVPs for IoT products for 3rd world countries, and Learning from mistakes with Kirtan Patel from Noah Medical

    In this episode, Harry and Mathusan speak with Kirtan Patel, a Systems Engineer at Noah Medical, a medical robotics company based in San Carlos, California. They talk through Kirtan’s journey so far in building hardware products, specifically, how he went from making an IoT product for consumers in Accra, Ghana, to creating potentially life-saving robotics in the MedTech space. They also dive into the different challenges he has faced in building these products and how he has learned from failing. Kirtan provides insight and advice into what others can do differently to increase their odds of success in the hardware space, a space generally known to being "hard" to build in. You can reach Kirtan via email (kirpat97@gmail.com) or via LinkedIn. As always, we are constantly looking to improve The MVP Pod to make it the best source for learning about building products. We would really appreciate it if you could tweet at us @m2s4n and @harrysiva_ with your feedback!

    1h 12m
  12. v0.0 - Introducing The MVP Podcast

    SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    v0.0 - Introducing The MVP Podcast

    In this episode (v0.0), Mathusan Selvarajah and Harry Sivashankaran discuss what The MVP Podcast is, what you as listeners can look forward to, and who they are. The MVP Podcast will be producing content focused on products such as product stories, talking to builders of these products, and discussing industry news. If you have any feedback for them feel free to reach out via Twitter! Mathusan - @m2s4n, Harry - @harrysiva_.

    11 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Podcast is the best podcast for those who love to talk about products and learn how to build them! Hosted by Mathusan and Harry, two friends that are building cool things in the tech industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Mathusan Selvarajah & Harry Sivashankaran
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mathusan Selvarajah & Harry Sivashankaran
  • Show Website
    The MVP Pod