Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Startup Podcast
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScaleStudio: The new tool putting our principles into practice | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:46:03 | |
After nearly 300 episodes of The Startup Podcast, Chris Saad is bringing everything he's learned about building world-class products and product strategy into a single tool: ScaleStudio. In what may be our final episode (unless a white knight sponsor appears), Chris walks Yaniv through the product that could fundamentally change how founders approach strategy; from problem statement all the way to positioning, roadmap sequencing, and org design. Chris demonstrates how this one AI tool, housing his vast knowledge of Silicon Valley startup strategy, can give an overwhelming process a navigable structure, allowing founders to plot a deliberate course through the chaos. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:14 On Today's Show: The Last Startup Podcast? 01:39 Turning Our Advice Into A Product (ScaleStudio) 03:18 Homepage And Templates 04:40 Problem Statement 05:36 Copilot And Collaboration 08:10 Solutions And Editing 09:49 'How It Works' Stage 11:22 Building Strategy From Seed 13:32 Mapping The Solution Space 18:53 Customer Segments and Personas 20:46 Wedges And Customer Terrain 23:07 Customer Roadmap View 26:32 Org Design 28:03 How Does AI Change Hiring? 31:18 Roadmap To Unlocking Cohorts 33:51 Market Sizing 37:25 Planning the Future of ScaleStudio… in ScaleStudio? 39:08 The Future of Agentic Orgs 42:11 Closing Thoughts: 4 Years of TSP Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Rob Snyder demonstrates his PULL framework in real-time – using Yaniv's startup | 27 Jul 2026 | 00:52:03 | |
A few weeks ago, Rob Snyder came on the pod to introduce his PULL framework for identifying real product-market fit. Now, Yaniv turns the tables and subjects his own startup, Vera, to the same scrutiny. Yaniv and Rob strip away the noise around Vera's mission to help adult children care for aging parents and get brutally honest about where the product actually has pull, where it doesn't, and what needs to change immediately. They identify a specific, unavoidable moment in the customer journey and pinpoint that is where the real business begins, and discuss more macro issues, such as AI vs. human expertise, founder blind spots, and more. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up 01:38 On Today's Show: Yaniv Applies PULL to Vera 04:42 Defining PULL and Projects 05:54 Vera's Customer Goals 08:00 Unavoidable Moments and Crisis 11:25 Real Users and Traction 16:58 Mission vs Push Marketing 24:07 Why Isn't Google Enough? 28:21 Nailing the Specific Project 34:02 Testing Market With Ads 37:06 Bill Gates And AI Shift 38:47 Human Shaped Software Design 43:45 Trust And Reputation In Bots 48:48 About The Book Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Why you should run your startup like a poker player (Replay) | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:43:38 | |
This is a remastered Replay of one of our most popular episodes, "What Startups Can Learn From Poker", which was originally published on 21 December 2022. Enjoy! Original description: All season, Chris and Yaniv have talked about the mindset that is needed to succeed at venture-backed startups. For the final episode of Season 1, we tie it all together with an analogy: tournament poker. It is amazing how many things poker and startups have in common, so in this episode we use the lens of poker to discuss the big picture of how to approach building a successful startup. We dive into each of the following commonalities between poker and startup life: 01:56 Playing an iterative game 10:00 Burning cash 13:31 Making decisions based on uncertain information 18:46 Progressive learning 28:44 Avoiding 'resulting' 35:02 The relatively low probability of a successful outcome (and why that’s OK!) This episode was inspired by the book 'Thinking in Bets' by former pro poker player Annie Duke. The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us on YouTube for full video episodes: @startup-podcast Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ #TheStartupPodcast #startups #poker #texasholdem #investment #venturecapital #resulting #probability #ChrisSaad #YanivBernstein | |||
| Avoiding ‘team debt’ by building small and smart (w/ Matt Cook) | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:56:20 | |
Is hiring a person still your default answer to a problem? For a growing number of startups, it shouldn't be. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by returning guest Matt Cook, co-founder of Scouut, one of Australia's most respected engineering recruiters for early-stage startups, to unpack what's changed in engineering hiring since Matt's last visit. They cover ‘team debt’ (the AI-era sequel to tech debt), why AI is acting as an appetite suppressant for headcount, why the best engineers are now worth $400K+, and why the ‘software factory builder’ is becoming the most sought-after hire in tech. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 00:58 On Today's Show: Matt Cook on 'Team Debt' 02:36 What is Team Debt? 05:12 Refocusing on AI Native Solutions 10:40 Unlearning Old Hiring Ladders 12:04 Why Companies Are Oversized 14:59 AI, the 'Corporate Ozempic' 19:25 Layoffs and Team Composition 24:02 Disrupting Yourself at Series B 28:12 The Salary Race for AI Engineers 34:01 Limitations of Headcount Budgeting 38:16 How Downsizing Can Help You Grow 41:13 ClickUp's 'Hail Mary' Pivot 44:26 Software Factory Builders and 'Forward Deployed' Automation 49:14 Maintaining Safe Internal Software 54:25 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| How good timing makes great products w/ Paul Orlando | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:55:56 | |
Every startup pitch deck has a "why now" slide. Most of them are nonsense, barely considered, and only there to tick a box. But timing is more than a slide, it can make or break a company. It’s the difference between pets.com and the trillion-dollar company selling the exact same idea a decade later. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Paul Orlando, who has built four startup accelerators supporting over 300 companies, including Hong Kong's first accelerator and a program in Rome run in partnership with the Vatican, and has taught entrepreneurship at USC for over a decade, where he also runs one of LA's largest startup incubators. Paul has spent years obsessing over a single question: why do some ideas succeed while near-identical ones fail years earlier? The answer became his book, ‘Why Now? How Good Timing Makes Great Products.’ In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 01:04 On Today's Show: Why Timing Matters 01:44 Guest Intro: Paul Orlando 02:42 Is 'Why Now' Predictable? 05:40 Paul's Timing Drivers Framework 08:44 Case Study: YouTube's Market Timing 11:47 Business Model Shifts 15:16 Case Study: Pets.com Unit Economics 22:16 Case Study: AI Vibe Coding 24:11 What Are 'Sleeping Beauty' Startups? 27:46 Incorporating AI into Timing Drivers 28:52 Collapse of Build Costs 33:34 Case Study: Vera and Unit Economics of Voice 35:15 False 'Why Now' Risks 37:46 First Mover Reality 40:33 Reid Hoffman on Blitzscaling 41:49 Case Study: AT&T's Picturephone and Mobile Telephony 46:31 Lessons on Failure and Agency 54:09 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Make your product irresistible: Rob Snyder on the PULL framework | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:53:55 | |
You’ve done all the research, implemented every startup strategy you could find, but your product just isn’t selling. Where do you start looking for the problem? And how do you identify and implement the solution? In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Rob Snyder – serial founder, fellow at Harvard Innovation Labs, operating partner on the venture side, and now author of 'The Power of PULL' – to discuss why most founders have fundamentally misunderstood demand, and how to accurately pinpoint it. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 00:51 On Today's Show: Rob Snyder on When Sales Works 03:24 Why 'Demand' Is More Than Pain 05:51 What Are Other Frameworks Missing? 12:36 'Vitamins vs. Painkillers' 16:12 What is the PULL Framework?21:07 Case Study: Data Migration (Ruby) 26:04 Case Study: Fundraising (Campground) 29:11 Where Interviews Go Wrong 35:19 Practice Exercise: Rob Sells Yaniv The Book 40:14 Debrief: Why Listening Wins 42:48 How to Spot Real Buying Signals 43:58 Reverse Engineering Fast Deals 47:58 Founder Mindset and Sanity 50:54 Closing Thoughts: "Get Out Of The Building" Resources in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Success is 90% luck. So how do you build a successful startup? (w/ Mike Grossman) | 22 Jun 2026 | 00:54:35 | |
Founders are told that if they work hard, build the right product and hire well, the outcome will follow. It's motivating. It's clean. And according to today's guest, it's mostly wrong. Mike Grossman has been CEO of six venture-backed Silicon Valley companies. Across them, he tried 18 different business models. Twelve failed. Five required layoffs. Three lived in persistent existential crisis. And yet all six were eventually acquired. Mike's story is one that far more founders actually live, but almost nobody tells. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Mike to dig into his new book, Failure Is An Option: a candid 44-essay collection drawn from three decades in the trenches. They explore the uncomfortable truth that luck dominates outcomes more than skill, why your business model is not your business, and how radical honesty is the most underrated leadership tool in a founder's kit. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps: 00:00 Coming Up... 00:34 On Today's Show: Mike Grossman on Managing Failure 02:02 The Role of Luck and Timing 03:41 Poker Strategy and 'Resulting' 08:55 "The Business Model Is Not The Business" 11:27 Tempo's Pivot 13:28 Why Values Matter In A Crisis 19:21 Talent Density and Layoffs: Cut Once, Cut Deep 28:15 How AI Changes Hiring Pace 32:15 Leading with 'Radical Honesty' 36:33 Dreamers vs. Soldiers 38:02 Managing Investors 41:43 Luck, Agency, Process 48:39 About 'Failure Is An Option' 51:29 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@startup-podcast Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Anthropic’s Fable, Mythos explained + SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:52:15 | |
The Startup Podcast is back for its 300th episode – and it’s an absolute doozy. In today’s Reacts, hosts Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein break down how Anthropic became the new industry leader in AI, and why betting on coding as the 'meta domain' of AI turned out to be one of the most consequential product decisions of the decade. They also dig into Mythos and the newly released Claude Fable: what makes Fable different, whether it has something approaching genuine intelligence, and what the Anthropic 'strategy dividend' (per Ben Thompson of Stratechery) actually means for the industry. Then: SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO. With a reported valuation of around $1.88 trillion and a prospectus that talks more about AI than rockets, Chris and Yaniv ask the obvious question: is it worth it? In this episode:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 00:39 On Today's Show: Chris returns, Anthropic’s Mythos/Fable, SpaceX IPO 02:30 Anthropic surges ahead of OpenAI 04:16 Why coding is a 'meta-advantage' for AI 07:24 OpenAI’s product turmoil 11:04 Are OpenAI competing with Anthropic, or Google? 13:25 Anthropic’s enterprise strategy 17:06 Mythos: ‘Safety marketing’ or ‘safety dividends’? 23:24 Are Anthropic the good guys? 26:32 Fable: “Mythos with a muzzle” 28:29 Does AI only need to beat the average human? 31:23 Yaniv’s experiences with Fable 32:46 Reasoning logs and self-correction 34:27 Is SpaceX over-valued? (Yes.) 39:32 SpaceX’s moats and growth potential 43:02 Why ‘second mover advantage’ sometimes wins 46:05 Will there be a crash? Chris predicts a liquiditycrunch 50:31 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us on YouTube for full video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@startup-podcast Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| How to fix a 'broken industry' (w/ Brandon Weber – Nava Benefits, VTS, Hightower) | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:42:33 | |
Every founder gets a version of the same advice: don't pick a fight with an entrenched industry. The incumbents have the relationships, the regulatory cover, the deep pockets - you'll bleed out trying. But some of the most interesting companies of the last decade were built ignoring that advice, winning over markets that were nearly impenetrable. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Brandon Weber - co-founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, a Series C-funded AI-powered health benefits brokerage. Before Nava, Brandon co-founded Hightower, a commercial real estate startup that merged with VTS and went on to run over half of all office buildings in the United States. Brandon has now done this twice in two completely different industries, and has developed a repeatable playbook for breaking into entrenched markets and using AI as a structural advantage. Yaniv and Brandon dig into what actually makes a market 'broken', why the entry point needs to be far narrower than most founders think, and how to build the conviction to keep going when a thousand people tell you it won't work. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up… 00:45 On Today's Show: Brandon Weber on Fixing Broken Industries 01:43 How To Spot Broken Markets 03:59 Why Most Healthcare Startups Fail (Distribution) 05:35 Lessons From Building Hightower and VTS 08:41 How Do We Think Smaller? Finding the 'Narrow Wedge' 10:57 What It Means To 'Disrupt From Within' 16:53 Choosing the ICP 18:35 The Innovator's Dilemma and Moving Upmarket 22:57 Scaling with AI: A Business in Two Phases 26:29 Service as a Software 34:02 Attract and Hire Industry Insiders 36:44 When to Acquire 39:06 Closing Advice Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@startup-podcast Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Why Gary Lo's product strategy has evolved in the era of DIY software | 01 Jun 2026 | 00:52:40 | |
What if writing software became as easy as taking a selfie? This episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Gary Lo - founder of OpenBA and one of the sharpest AI-and-startups thinkers Yaniv knows - to discuss the concept of 'selfie software': disposable, hyper-personal, AI-generated tools that anyone can create for themselves, with no hand-written code. AI-generated tools like these are changing the startup landscape. While founders now have more tools at their disposal, it's now necessary than ever to create a product that truly disrupts the market. Gary and Yaniv discuss all of this and more, likening Claude and ChatGPT to Windows and Mac, and exploring what this tech landscape means if you're building a software startup today. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 01:09 On Today's Show: Gary Lo on 'Selfie Software' 02:48 About Gary 03:16 How 'Hyper-Personalized' AI Is Like Photography 05:36 Gary's Real Estate Workflow (OpenBA) 07:29 Defining 'Selfie Software': Why Custom Tools Win 10:33 So... Is It Bad Software? 13:29 'Can’t You Just Add This One Thing...' 15:30 When Personalization Becomes Bloat 17:42 Working In-App with Anthropic and OpenAI APIs 20:29 Token Economics and Moats 25:28 Microsoft's Lessons in Platform Power 30:27 But What If Anthropic Comes For My Vertical? 32:48 How Open Source Keeps AI in Check 35:18 Unlearning and Rebuilding 39:05 Gary's 'Burn It Down' Test 44:01 Is Software Engineering Dead? (No.) 50:17 Closing Thoughts Resources in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Author Eric Ries (The Lean Startup) on how to build an incorruptible company | 25 May 2026 | 00:57:05 | |
Most founders set out to build something that matters: a company that’s aligned with their mission, now and forever. But what if the very systems we use to build ‘real’ companies are the thing that corrupts them? In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Silicon Valley legend Eric Ries author of the era-defining 'The Lean Startup', founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, and now the author of a provocative new book, 'Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great'. Eric makes the case that corruption is a structural problem, rather than a failing of the people themselves. He walks Yaniv through the ‘financial gravity’ that pulls good companies away from their founders' purpose, and the governance ‘fortresses’ that a small handful of outlier companies (from Costco to Novo Nordisk to Anthropic) have used to stay great. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up... 01:06 On Today's Show: Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible 02:41 From 'The Lean Startup' to 'Incorruptible': Why Governance Matters 04:13 The Two Mysteries 05:45 Case Study: Sol Price and FedMart 08:58 The Shareholder Primacy Trap 14:04 Costco's Governance Fortress 16:50 Founder Control vs VCs 19:33 Why Markets Punish Your Mission 21:30 Novo Nordisk's Foundation Model 26:35 Anthropic and AI Trust 29:37 Governance in Action Today 31:54 Doing the Right Thing 33:27 Goodhart's Law and Customer Service Metrics 38:36 Why 'Harder Is Easier' 39:02 Costco's Hotdog Promise 41:55 Mission Lock Structures 43:32 Pitching Investors, Leverage and the Fundraising Decision Tree 49:33 HBO's Silicon Valley and 'Minimum Viable Product' 53:57 Closing Thoughts & Book Plug Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| FEED DROP: Could AI Make Capitalism Better? Henrik Werdelin Is Optimistic (from FAFO with Dan Blumberg) | 21 May 2026 | 00:39:02 | |
This is a bonus feed drop from Dan Blumberg's podcast 'Future Around and Find Out' (FAFO), winner of the 2026 Webby Award for Best Technology Podcast. If you like what you hear, check out FAFO at https://www.futurearound.com/ Original description: Henrik Werdelin is one of my favorite entrepreneurs. He’s founded and incubated several unicorns, most notably BARK, the dog happiness company. Henrik himself is a pretty happy guy — an optimistic guy who likes to ask what could go right? — and on the day we recorded (a few months ago as I was squirreling away interviews for the podcast relaunch), he helped me see through some future of tech gloom I was feeling. I honestly can’t even remember what Trump+tech hellscape we were living through that week, but I do remember that Henrik put me in a better mood. I think he’ll do the same for you, no matter how you’re feeling. 🤗 Henrik believes AI could be a massive force for good. That it could bring forth a whole new — a better! — form of capitalism. He writes about this is in his latest book, Me, My Customer, and AI. He points to those (like Henry Ford) who took advantage of electricity by making drastic, not incremental, changes to how the build things. Our conversation pairs nicely with my recent episode with Azeem Azhar, who said the AI winners will “come from odd places”, as they have in previous tech transformations. Here’s more of what Henrik and I cover:
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Credits for The Startup Podcast:
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| The Science of Scaling: Using data to scale your startup perfectly w/ Mark Roberge | 18 May 2026 | 01:05:03 | |
Most founders treat 'scale' like a switch you flip after raising a round: hire 14 reps, 10x the ad spend, and pray. About half scale too early and burn the runway, while the other half scale too late and get caught by a more aggressive competitor. Almost nobody can tell you, in measurable terms, when they're actually ready. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Mark Roberge - founding CRO at HubSpot (where he scaled the company from $0 to $100M ARR), senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, cofounder of Stage 2 Capital, and author of the new book 'The Science of Scaling'. Mark walks Yaniv through his impressive data-driven framework for scaling that he's spent a decade refining, covering how to objectively define product-market fit, why customer retention is the only honest measure of PMF, and how to instrument a Leading Indicator of Retention you can act on in week one. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up 00:26 On Today's Show: The Science of Scaling 01:47 Guest Intro: Mark Roberge 02:31 Why Scaling Needs Data 04:20 Eric Ries and Product Market Fit 06:56 Retention as a North Star 10:15 What Makes a Good Leading Indicator? 15:00 Case Study: Vera (Yaniv's Startup) 17:41 Choosing Frequency and Event 23:55 Instrumenting and Unique Value 31:12 Blitzscaling and Defining PET 34:41 ICP Denominator Rules 37:28 Segmenting By Product 40:40 Go To Market Fit 45:25 Dealing with Revenue-Focused Investor Pressure 50:33 The Pace of Scaling 56:07 About the Book, The Science of Scaling 57:45 Founder Mental Health 01:02:28 Closing Thoughts Resources in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Refounding: Why this $80m founder quit as CEO, and what it says about the future of startups | 11 May 2026 | 00:45:17 | |
In 2026, startups age like milk. Josh Foreman's solution is a radical one - step down as CEO, go back to basics, and refound the whole company. Yaniv Bernstein discusses this decision with Josh, founder and (for now) CEO of InDebted - the AI-native debt resolution business he scaled to an $80M revenue run rate, a Series C raise, and operations across 8 markets. Just days before recording, Josh publicly announced he's hiring a new CEO so he can step back into the business as a hands-on operator and refound the company for the agentic AI era. In this conversation, Josh and Yaniv discuss 'refounding' in practice, what it takes to rebuild the company's processes from the ground up, and why technical founders who don't go back on the tools right now are setting themselves up to be outbuilt by a smaller, faster, leaner version of themselves. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up: Refounding 00:41 Josh Foreman, CEO (for now) 01:41 What Refounding Means 04:53 Rebuilding the Factory 07:38 Bringing the Team Along 10:51 No Choice but Change 14:56 Aligning the Board and Investors 16:52 Putting Founders Back on the Tools 26:24 'Corporate Ozempic' Shrinking Teams 32:57 Unbundling and Products for Agents 38:39 Hiring a CEO When Refounding 44:11 Closing Thoughts Mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Adapting your startup to an AI-native world (w/ Marlon Nichols) | 04 May 2026 | 00:38:15 | |
Many AI startups funded in the last 18 months won't last three years - so what makes a business durable today? Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Marlon Nichols, co-founder and managing general partner of MaC Venture Capital - one of the most active seed-stage AI investors in the market, having scaled MaC to over $600M AUM across three funds in just four years. Marlon's portfolio includes Pipe, Stoke Space, Thrive Market, Chef Robotics, and exits like Wonder Dynamics to Autodesk and Gimlet Media to Spotify. In this conversation, Marlon uses his industry experience to explain the biggest threats to new AI startups, and what the key components of successful startups in the industry will be. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up 01:07 On Today's Show: Durable Tech 02:33 Meet Marlon Nichols 03:25 Defining 'Durable' AI Startups 05:23 Moats for Foundation Models 07:15 Chef Robotics and AI Native vs AI Enabled 09:24 Upgrading Legacy Startups 10:55 Pipe’s AI Pivot Case Study 13:19 Winning at the App Layer 15:56 Speed and Workflow Stickiness 17:51 Investment Checklist and Team 20:30 Automotive Digital Twins and Regulatory Testing 24:27 Why Physical AI? 26:09 Robotics In Manufacturing 26:55 Energy Storage And Batteries 28:30 Why Cheaper Builds Still Need Talent 30:19 Where Traction Can Be Misleading 33:41 Token Costs And Unit Economics 36:46 Closing Thoughts Mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| How the best founders balance fear and hope | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:29:27 | |
Being a founder has always meant dreaming big while keeping a close eye on potential trip-ups, and in the age of AI, finding and maintaining that balance is more important than ever. Today, Yaniv Bernstein talks about the importance of getting that balance right. Using deep insight and decades of industry experience, he discusses why now is the time for founders to be more ambitious than ever before - while identifying threats to success and keeping a keen, near-paranoid eye on them. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up 00:59 On Today's Show: Paranoid Optimism 01:27 Surviving as a Baby Turtle 03:00 Risks of Pure Optimism 05:24 A Herd of Thundering Elephants 07:44 Magic Elephants 09:50 3 Shifts: Compression, Leverage and Startup Advantage 12:54 YC's Garry Tan & 'Boiling The Lake' 15:38 Why Be Paranoid? 15:52 AI Risks Category Collapse 18:13 Anthropic, Google and OpenAI: The OPEC of Tokens 19:51 Identity Collapse 21:54 How to Operate As Paranoid Optimist 21:59 1. Holding Strong Priors and Updating Fast 23:31 2. Architecting For Escape 25:57 3. Stay Closer To The Problem Than The Solution 28:13 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Same As Ever: 7 rules that HAVEN'T changed about building great startups (w/ Amir Shevat) | 20 Apr 2026 | 00:49:52 | |
Between AI shaking up the industry, geopolitical upheaval, and unpredictable capital, being a founder has never been more confusing. So what advice, if any, is still relevant? In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Amir Shevat (Silicon Valley developer platform veteran and now General Partner at Darkmode Ventures) to answer exactly that. Focusing on what isn't changing rather than what is, Amir walks through seven truths of startup building that have become more important in the age of AI. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up… 01:07 Guest Intro: Amir Shevat 02:36 On Today's Show: 7 Timeless Truths 04:34 Jeff Bezos and the 'Same As Ever' Mindset 08:19 Rule 1. Hire The Right Team 10:15 How AI Raises The Bar 14:26 Rule 2. A Delightful User Experience 16:27 Conversational Interfaces 18:07 Why You Should Design For Emotions 24:20 Rule 3. Hustle Still Wins 26:05 The Return of Authentic Selling 28:09 Landing Your First Customers 28:50 Rule 4. Build Real Moats 30:48 Mongol Hordes: Is 'Execution Speed' A Moat? 33:00 'Thick' Product Advantage 33:39 Rule 5. Vision Beats TAM 38:07 Rule 6. Choose Great Markets 42:34 Rule 7. Build An Unfair Advantage 47:10 Recap and Closing Thoughts Resources in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Surviving the AI SaaSpocalypse: Will AI kill your startup? w/ Scotty Allen | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:47:52 | |
Will AI kill your startup? For a lot of startups, probably yes. But which ones? And more importantly, how do you make sure yours isn't one of them? Yaniv Bernstein is joined by returning guest Scotty Allen (bootstrapper, founder of The Product Bus, and startup strategist extraordinaire) to reason through one of the most pressing questions of 2026: how do you build a startup to survive the SaaSpocalypse? They discuss why this AI wave is more of a threat to tech startups than Google and Facebook ever were, and why the B2B/B2C distinction has never mattered more. Along the way, Yaniv discusses why making your software 'headless' will be a key survival strategy, and the pair explore what it means to build products that cater to agents. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps 00:00 Coming Up… 00:54 On Today's Show: Will AI Kill Startups? 01:32 Is This Different to Google/Facebook? 05:15 The Threat to 'MD-able' SaaS 10:49 Headless SaaS Advantage 15:19 Thin and Thick Wrappers 18:19 Bottom Up Disruption 20:34 Platform Fragility Risks 22:22 When DIY Systems Backfire 24:46 B2B vs B2C Distinction 28:53 Tools Agents Prefer 30:56 Claude 'Skills' As Distribution 32:05 Platforms Are Dead 34:09 Tool Use As An Inflection Point 35:42 Managing Agents Like Staff 38:55 B2B Headless vs. B2C Design 41:48 Who Pays In B2C? 44:10 Why Vera Is A 'Guide', Not An Agent 45:39 Embrace Ambiguity And Build 46:30 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Assistant Producer: Steph Hefferan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-heff/ Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ #SaaS #SaaSpocalypse #Startups #TechStartups #Founder #TechBusiness #TheStartupPodcast | |||
| ‘Unlearning’ with Yaniv: Why founders need to rewrite outdated, radioactive mindsets | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:29:28 | |
You may have spent years (or even decades) building your expertise. But is any of it still relevant? And how much of it is an active detriment to your startup? In this special solo episode, Yaniv Bernstein delivers a no-guest monologue on the most critical skill any founder can develop right now: ‘unlearning’. Drawing on Morgan Housel's ‘Same as Ever’; real-world examples from his own startup, Vera; and frameworks for rebuilding beliefs from the ground up, Yaniv makes the case that obsolete knowledge is as bad as radioactive waste actively distorting your decisions. In this episode, you will:
Timestamps: 00:00 Coming Up 00:42 On Today's Show: Unlearning 02:03 Morgan Hausel's Same as Ever 04:13 When Knowledge Turns Toxic 07:00 What Unlearning Means 07:42 Why Unlearning Is Hard 08:32 Sunk Cost Fallacy 12:32 Identity Threat 17:17 Redefining Expertise 18:15 Meta Skills For Experts 21:55 Auditing Your Beliefs 24:14 First Principles Thinking 25:21 Systems Thinking 27:24 You Should: Make Time To Adapt 28:14 You Should: Embrace Discomfort 29:01 Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ #unlearning #psychology #Startups #TechStartups #Founder #TechBusiness #TheStartupPodcast | |||
| Your co-founder relationship could break your startup! Here's how to fix it | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:22:46 | |
(This is Part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Matthew Jones about co-founder relationships. You can find Part 1 here: https://www.tsp.show/how-to-identify-red-flags-early-in-your-cofounder-relationship-w-dr-matthew-jones/) Co-founder conflict is tough to deal with, but it also has ripple effects through your entire organization. When a tough relationship is left to fester, it can erode your team culture, spike turnover, and eventually turn into a full-blown crisis. Continuing last week's conversation with Yaniv, Dr. Matthew Jones - author of The Cofounder Effect and founder of Cofounder Clarity - walks you through actionable ways to repair a flailing co-founder relationship. From identifying and avoiding common mistakes, to finding good coaching, Dr. Jones brings valuable insights that will ensure you and your founding team thrive together. In this episode, you will:
Chapters00:00 Coming Up...00:41 On Today's Show: Co-founder Relationships, Part 201:17 Ripple Effects on Company Culture04:15 Stats on Employee Stress And Churn05:28 Co-founder Syncs and Co-founder Dates09:33 Using 'The Cofounder Effect' to Navigate Conflict10:30 Enduring Discomfort12:28 Co-founder Coaching: 'Couples Therapy For Founders'?16:18 Why Self-Work Is 'High Leverage'17:44 Today's Action: Use The Three Languages Framework19:48 'Nonviolent Communication' and Naming The Elephant In The Room22:20 Closing Thoughts and Resources Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| How to identify red flags early in your cofounder relationship w/ Dr. Matthew Jones | 23 Mar 2026 | 00:39:58 | |
Your co-founder relationship is the single most important variable in your startup's success, and one of the most likely things to destroy it. Today, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Dr. Matthew Jones, author of ‘The Cofounder Effect’ and founder of Cofounder Clarity, to dig into the psychology of co-founder relationships: why they break down and what the warning signs look like. Matt brings a rare combination of clinical depth and startup-world pragmatism to the topic - an essential skillset to help you properly understand common co-founder pitfalls, and how to avoid them.
In this episode, you will:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Why Claude never stops listening to our meetings (w/ Minikai's Keoki Alexander-Chang) | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:41:57 | |
In a deeply regulated industry such as healthcare, building an AI-native app poses a host of unique challenges, particularly when it comes to navigating customer privacy and industry red tape. How do you create an industry-leading resource and stay on the cutting edge of tech, while managing these constraints? Keoki Alexander-Chang can help you there. He's the founder and CEO of Minikai, a Melbourne-based startup using AI agents to slash the administrative burden on disability and aged care providers. Before launching Minikai, he led Deloitte's Forensic AI lab, so he's been thinking about applied AI in complex, regulated environments for far longer than most founders. In this episode, Yaniv sits down with Keoki to explore what it really means to build a person-centred AI product in a high-stakes regulated sector — and how Minikai applies that same AI-native mindset to their internal operations, through fine-grained access control, human-in-the-loop design, and AI agents keeping the entire sales pipeline up to date in the background. In this episode, you will:
Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Recruiting the best AI engineers w/ Matt Cook of Scouut | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:57:19 | |
Has your hiring process kept up with the industry’s AI leaps, or are you still interviewing like it's 2022? Today’s AI-driven landscape means the skill gap between a good engineer and a great one widens every day, and the great ones can be difficult to find. But how do you choose – and hire – the best in the business? How do you find those elusive engineers who can skilfully handle multi-agent workflows, ship in hours what used to take weeks, and add an AI-focused competitive edge to your startup? In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are joined by Matt Cook, an expert in hiring the best engineers in the business, and co-founder of Scouut – one of Australia's most respected engineering recruiters for early-stage startups. Matt works with pre-seed through to Series C companies and has a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping what ‘great’ looks like in engineering, and how founders and hiring teams alike can keep pace. They cover what's fundamentally changed in engineering hiring, what hasn't, and how to build a small, elite team that punches well above its weight. In this episode, you will:
Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: OpenClaw and Claude Cowork have changed everything for startups w/ Gary Lo, Open BA | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:37:26 | |
The agentic AI revolution is finally escaping the coding bubble. What does that mean for startup founders? Just 13 days after recording his first conversation with Yaniv, Gary Lo called to re-record. The reason? OpenClaw and Claude Cowork dropped some huge AI agent updates, and it shifted Gary's perspective enough to change the whole conversation. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Gary Lo – founder of OpenBA, one of Australia's most compelling pre-seed AI startups – to unpack why OpenClaw and Claude Cowork news marks a 'Cursor moment' for the rest of the world: the inflection point where AI stops being a productivity tool for tech teams and starts fundamentally reshaping how every industry works. They break down why tool use will make LLMs genuinely transformative, why non-technical business owners are already buying Mac Minis to run AI agents, and what the shift from 'human-first' to 'LLM-first' product design means for how you build and position your startup today. This episode is essential listening for any founder trying to figure out where to place their bets in an agentic world. In this episode, you'll learn:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favorite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Making the most of the founder/investor dynamic (w/ Liz Zalman, author of 'Founder vs Investor') | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:57:41 | |
Founders and investors like to tell themselves they're on the same team, and they can be – but it takes work. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Liz Zalman, a veteran founder with over 20 years of startup experience, for an in-depth chat about the real dynamics of the founder-investor relationship. Liz is also co-author (alongside VC Jerry Neumann) of 'Founder Vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO’, one of Yaniv's favorite books on startups. From re-vesting demands to acquisition offers that investors won't approve, Liz brings hard-won, unfiltered perspective to some of the most uncomfortable moments a founder will face. In this episode, you will:
Resources mentioned in this episode
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a .tech domain at your favourite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/#Investors #Startups #TechStartups #Founder #TechBusiness #TheStartupPodcast | |||
| How founders can survive 2026 w/ Jess Mah | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:55:56 | |
Is AI making founders more anxious than ever, even in the heart of Silicon Valley? Behind the optimistic LinkedIn posts and fundraising announcements, some of the most successful people in tech are struggling with burnout and an overwhelming pace of change. So what does it actually take to build a resilient, successful startup in 2026? In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Jess Mah, serial founder, Y Combinator alum, and venture creation powerhouse behind Mahway. Jess has founded more than 10 companies — collectively valued at over $1 billion — and was the youngest woman ever accepted into Y Combinator. Fresh from dinners with Fortune 500 CEOs and unicorn founders in San Francisco, she shares what's really happening behind closed doors in the startup world, and why the founders who refuse to get hands-on with AI tools are now at a serious disadvantage. In this episode, you will:
Connect with Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessmah/Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Recursive Self-Determination: Why your startup needs autonomy at every layer | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:44:19 | |
Self-determination throughout your team: it sounds simple, but implementing it effectively could give your startup a razor-sharp competitive edge. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv unpack the 'Recursive Principle of Self-Determination', a framework for designing autonomous startups that maximize agency at every layer of the business. They explore how high-agency decisions shape product strategy, engineering, go-to-market, fundraising, teams, and culture, and why AI is accelerating the shift toward founder empowerment. In this episode, you will: * Understand the concept of recursive self-determination and why it applies across the entire startup stack * Identify low-agency decisions that slow innovation (agencies, misaligned partners, restrictive funding) * Design products that increase customer empowerment by reducing friction, cost, and dependency * Evaluate tech stack and vendor choices based on incentive alignment and long-term control * Apply high-agency go-to-market strategies by selling directly to customers * Structure teams as cross-functional, autonomous squads that move fast and learn faster * Leverage AI as a force multiplier for founder and team agency The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to https://www.vanta.com/tsp. This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by .tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for .tech domains is simply way better than .com. For a clean and memorable name, go to https://get.tech/tsp. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Reviewing Our 2025 Tech Predictions | 13 Nov 2025 | 00:40:22 | |
Were we wildly wrong, or surprisingly on the money? As 2025 wraps, Chris and Yaniv revisit the bold predictions they made at the start of the year. They reflect on their calls about AI, robotics, VC markets, crypto, and geopolitics. While some were accurate, some were also hilariously off. Together, they unpack what 2025 really looked like for startups, venture capital, and the global tech landscape. In this episode, you will:
Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Is OpenAI Evil? Reacting to Sam Altman's Latest Announcements w/ Jacob Ward | 06 Nov 2025 | 01:09:32 | |
OpenAI may appear to be building the future, but are they leading the tech industry towards collapse? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Jacob Ward (journalist, author of The Loop and NBC Technology Correspondent) to break down OpenAI’s latest livestream and what it signals about the next era of AI. Sam Altman may talk the good talk, but his actions, and the priorities of OpenAI at large, may not align with those claims. Chris, Yaniv, and Jacob unpack these differences between words and actions, the emerging social consequences, and what it all means for the tech industry. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Replay: Engaging Young Employees - How to Attract the Best & Brightest Minds w/ Dan Brockwell from Earlywork | 03 Nov 2025 | 00:44:34 | |
What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity? Bringing Gen Z employees to your workplace is well worth it, but it means a mental pivot from the hiring team, keeping in mind an entirely new set of criteria. Chris and Yaniv discuss all this and more with Dan Brockwell, Founder and Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, a vibrant community for early-career professionals. In this episode, you will:
[This is a replay episode. The original was published on May 26, 2022] The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Google's 'Quantum Advantage' + MIT's 'Telepathic' Interface, China Leads the Sci-Fi Future | 30 Oct 2025 | 00:43:22 | |
Is this the moment quantum computing becomes real? After years of being “five years away,” Google just announced a verifiable quantum advantage, claiming its Willow chip ran a molecule simulation 13,000× faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer. Is this truly the dawn of the quantum era? In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein dive deep into Google’s latest quantum computing breakthrough, exploring what it means for AI, science, and the future of technology. They'll also expand to cover the rise of brain–computer interfaces, China’s ten-year tech roadmap, and the political turbulence shaping our next decade of innovation. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Trends in Startup Funding w/ Carta's Head of Insights, Peter Walker | 27 Oct 2025 | 01:06:09 | |
Looking to fund your startup? If you're new to the process, fundraising can be difficult to navigate. Not only are there a myriad of ways to go about it, but it can be hard to tell whether the tips, tricks, and advice floating around are based on any evidence at all. So, what is the truth? And what are the actual, data-backed insights that can help you choose the best method of fundraising for your own business? Enter: Peter Walker. As Head of Insights at Carta, he has access to, and industry knowledge about, the vast sets of funding data that will help you cut through the noise. Today, he joins Chris and Yaniv in discussing the real data behind startup funding trends in 2025 and the key takeaways you can apply to your own startups. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Is ChatGPT Atlas The Future Of Browsing? + YouTube's AI Likeness Detection, Apple's New Vision Pro M5 | 23 Oct 2025 | 00:53:18 | |
OpenAI just dropped its unbelievable new browser. All signs point to it overshadowing Chrome, but is this really the dawn of a new era? Or just another hype cycle, courtesy of Sam Altman? In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein react to OpenAI’s surprise launch of ChatGPT Atlas and debate its strategic implications. They also discuss Apple’s underwhelming Vision Pro refresh (and what it means for the company at large), YouTube’s new likeness detection tech, and Reid Hoffman’s viral post on “good vs. bad actors” in AI. In this episode, you will:
Get started with Cyber Matters: https://www.cybermatters.io The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| The 4 Biggest Execution Mistakes Founders Make | 20 Oct 2025 | 00:43:01 | |
Think you’re executing well? Think again. Chances are you’re making one of these four common mistakes. Drawing from Chris’s latest essay and real-world advisory experience, Chris and Yaniv spend this episode breaking down the four biggest execution mistakes you're probably making right now. They explore how to recognize these patterns early, how to apply taste and judgment when scaling, and how to develop the discipline needed to execute with precision. In this episode, you will:
Read Chris’s original LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrissaad_the-big-4-execution-mistakes-youre-probably-activity-7379681603847049216-ApcV The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: 'Treat Adult Users As Adults' Says OpenAI's Sam Altman + Oura's $900M Raise, NVIDIA's Funding Bubble | 16 Oct 2025 | 00:53:31 | |
OpenAI is set to roll out its new “treat adults like adults” policy, heralding the beginning of AI chatbots speaking more amorously with users. As the company pushes boundaries, from personality-rich bots to experimental devices, others are warning that the industry might be inflating a dangerous AI bubble. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein break down Sam Altman’s controversial announcement, unpack Johnny Ive’s vision for the next generation of OpenAI hardware, and debate whether Google’s slow-moving Gemini rollout signals resilience or decline. They also dive into the billion-dollar race for health data, exploring how Oura’s massive new raise fits into the wider AI gold rush. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Flow State: The Competitive Advantage You Need, And How To Harness It w/ Film Producer & Founder, Steven Puri | 13 Oct 2025 | 00:50:38 | |
What if your best work came from finding your flow, rather than simply grinding harder? In the age of constant distraction, many founders mistake busyness for progress, chasing notifications, meetings, and multitasking without realizing that true innovation happens when the mind is deeply focused. Today, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Steven Puri, former DreamWorks executive and founder of The Sukha, to unpack the science of flow state and why mastering it may be the ultimate founder advantage. From Hollywood film production to startup leadership, Steven shares how high performers sustain creativity and energy by designing their environments, schedules, and team cultures around deep work. They explore how to use neuroscience, rhythm, and intentional structure to unlock focus, eliminate context switching, and help your team reach peak performance without burnout. In this episode, you will:
Find Steven on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-puri Learn more about Sukha: https://www.thesukha.co The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: New ChatGPT Dev Tools Threaten App Store + Sora 2 Launch, Apple Removes ICE Block | 09 Oct 2025 | 00:47:02 | |
What happens when AI stops being a product and starts being a platform? With OpenAI’s latest Dev Day changing the game, we might find out sooner rather than later. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv explore OpenAI’s Dev Day and the huge announcements made (including the Sora 2 launch), as well as their apparent transformation from product to platform. In other tech news, the guys dive into Anthropic’s open-source counterpunch with Claude’s Agent SDK, along with Apple’s controversial censorship call - all while analyzing what all of this means for startup founders building in the AI era. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Nailing Your Market Niche w/ Dutch CEO, Joe Spector (Spotlight) | 06 Oct 2025 | 00:58:59 | |
What happens when a founder who took a taboo health topic mainstream decides to reinvent pet care? In this Spotlight episode of The Startup Podcast, former Hims co-founder Joe Spector faux-pitches his startup Dutch, a telemedicine platform making veterinary care accessible, affordable, and convenient. Most founders fear tough questions from investors, this episode shows what happens when they face them live. Discover how Joe applies lessons from scaling a billion-dollar company to a completely different market, and how understanding regulation, timing, and storytelling can make or break your pitch. In this episode, you will:
Learn more about Dutch: https://www.dutch.com/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joespector The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: ChatGPT Pulse: An Overpriced Daily Digest? + Hollywood’s First AI Actress, Amazon’s $2.5B Settlement | 02 Oct 2025 | 00:38:07 | |
OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Pulse, a succinct, personalized daily feed. Will this shift the focus of AI from performance to personal context? Or is it just an overhyped, overpriced daily digest? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv get right into this week's tech news: the reality of ChatGPT Pulse, plus the wider implications of Hollywood's first AI actress, Tilly Norwood; Amazon's record-breaking $2.5B fine for deceptive Prime signups and the lessons founders can learn from it; and plenty more. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| How Being Genuine is a Critical Advantage For Startup Founders w/ Christine Blosdale, Expert Authority Coach (Edu) | 29 Sep 2025 | 00:50:45 | |
Standing out has gotten even more difficult thanks to the flood of AI content, and many early-stage founders mistakenly believe they need to act like corporate brands to be taken seriously. In this episode, Yaniv chats with Christine Blosdale, an award-winning media coach, podcaster, and branding strategist. Together they discuss how authenticity, personal branding, and “expert authority” can give founders a massive edge in today’s AI-driven startup landscape. They also explore how to overcome imposter syndrome, use AI responsibly, and build a founder-led brand that attracts talent, customers, and investors. In this episode, you will:
Learn more about Christine here: https://www.christineblosdale.com The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Tech Talent Pool to Be Decimated by New Fee + OpenAI Jobs Platform, $1B for Dishwashing Robots | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:53:27 | |
What happens to Silicon Valley when the world’s best founders and engineers can no longer afford to work in the US? Today, Chris and Yaniv break down why the massive new work visa fee is a tech talent crisis waiting to happen. They discuss how Trump’s surprising $100K H-1B fee could reshape startup hiring and the tech sector at large, along with the nitty gritty of Meta’s new smart glasses launch, and Figure AI’s billion-dollar Series C robots. They also unpack OpenAI’s unexpected jobs platform, and what it reveals about the future of AI work. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Why Every Startup Founder Should Consider B2B SaaS w/ Rob Walling (Edu) | 22 Sep 2025 | 00:58:29 | |
Is the new age of AI agents about to kill niche B2B SaaS businesses? Many first-time founders worry that tools like ChatGPT or custom AI builders will make off-the-shelf SaaS products obsolete, but it could simply herald a new evolution of SaaS. In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Rob Walling, serial founder, investor, and author of The SaaS Playbook, to break down why B2B SaaS still outperforms other business models and how founders can build defensible products – even in an AI-driven world. They explore the fundamentals of recurring revenue, why vertical SaaS wins over horizontal competitors, and the real opportunities AI creates for startup builders. In this episode, you will:
Learn more about Rob Walling and his work here: https://robwalling.com The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: YouTube's Steady Domination + Oracle's AI Comeback, Sam Altman v. Tucker Carlson | 18 Sep 2025 | 00:55:08 | |
Is YouTube quietly becoming the most powerful platform in the world? Announcements made during Made On YouTube 2025 revealed incredibly promising long-term plans, with the media giant seemingly set to dominate video, music, and podcasts with the help of Google’s AI. Too many entrepreneurs still see YouTube as ‘just’ a video host, missing the bigger picture: it’s a global discovery engine and monetization machine. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv break down YouTube’s creator ecosystem and what their announcements mean for the future of media services. They also delve into Oracle’s unexpected AI rise, Sam Altman’s high-pressure interview on AI ethics, and Figma’s new AI tools reshaping design. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Startup Persistence: A Masterclass from YC Founder Paul Graham | 15 Sep 2025 | 00:41:13 | |
Are you truly being persistent with your startup, or just being stubborn? In the new age of AI-powered founders and hyper-fast iteration, many entrepreneurs mistake obstinacy for persistence and end up running out of time, money, and morale. Too often we glorify “hustle” and “grit” without understanding when to adapt, pivot, or quit. The misconception that sheer willpower equals success has caused countless startups to fail, not because the idea was bad, but because the founder couldn’t tell when to change course. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive deep into Paul Graham’s classic essay on the difference between persistence and obstinacy. Drawing from decades of startup experience, they unpack why adaptability, “predatory listening,” and goal-directed experimentation are the true drivers of breakthrough success. They explore the five traits that set persistent founders apart (energy, imagination, resilience, good judgment, and focus) and explain how to build these skills into your daily practice as a founder. In this episode, you will:
The Pact
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ #Resilience #Startups #Founder #TheStartupPodcast #Mindset | |||
| Insiders React: Apple's Huge AI Blunder + IPO Market Heats Up, White House Tech Dinner | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:57:09 | |
With Apple’s iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, AirPods Pro 3, and Apple Watch 11 now unveiled, what does this mean for the future of phones and wearable tech? And does the incredible AI of Google Pixel still blow Siri out of the water? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv delve into Apple’s newest product lineup and what it reveals about the company’s long-term strategy, particularly in the current AI-driven climate. They also discuss both the IPO market heating back up and the recent White House tech dinner, the implications both of these have on the tech industry, and the key takeaways for you as a founder. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Growing a Pre-Seed Startup? This Is The Core Knowledge You Need w/ Ashley Smith | 08 Sep 2025 | 00:57:54 | |
Pre-seed founders want explosive growth early on, but are you following the wrong playbook too soon? These days strategies, acronyms, and well-intended advice are everywhere, but today's guest argues that the path forward is a simple one: talk to customers, run experiments, and embrace rejection as part of the journey. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein speaks to guest Ashley Smith (ex-Twilio, Parse, GitLab, GitHub, and now General Partner at Vermilion Cliffs) and unpacks what it really takes for your startup to go from zero to one. Ashley has been at the helm of some of the most successful developer tool companies in the last decade and now invests in the next generation of technical founders. She shares raw insights from the trenches on how to build community, experiment with growth, and keep your startup alive through grit and iteration. In this episode, you will:
The Pact
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Google Antitrust: Is The Ruling Fair? + YC’s Latest Request For Startups, Statsig Acquisition | 04 Sep 2025 | 00:47:43 | |
Google’s long-running antitrust case has reached its remedy stage, and the outcome was far lighter than many expected. No breakup, no ban on default search deals, just a few constraints on bundling apps and some required data sharing, but it may not be quite as simple as it seems on the surface. Meanwhile, OpenAI dropped $1.1 billion to acquire Statsig, a product analytics company. What are the details of the deal, and what does it reveal about the future of OpenAI? To top the week off, Y Combinator released its Fall 2025 Request for Startups, and the lineup is surprisingly AI-heavy. Is this really a good indicator of successful startups, or are YC missing the mark with this one? Chris and Yaniv discuss this at length, cutting deeply into why these criteria were chosen, what you should (and shouldn’t) listen to, and where founders can looking for investors instead. In this episode, you will:
The Pact
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| First Principles: Listen to This Before You Apply to YC | 01 Sep 2025 | 00:38:04 | |
It seems like startup accelerators are everywhere these days. But what are they? What’s the point of them? And most importantly, is it worth having your startup go through one? Based on their own experience with YC and startups, Chris and Yaniv talk you through it all. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Insiders React: Google Pixel 10 – Does It Finally Beat Apple at Its Own Game? | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:35:21 | |
Is Apple’s dominance in smartphones starting to crack? Google’s Pixel 10 launch brought AI-first features, polished hardware, and bold marketing, signaling a new era in the iPhone vs. Android rivalry. For years, the iPhone has been synonymous with polish, hardware quality, and ecosystem lock-in. But with Google’s patient, decade-long investment in the Pixel line, coupled with deep AI integration, the balance may be shifting. Today, Chris and Yaniv analyze Pixel 10’s hardware updates, AI-powered OS features, and how Google’s persistence has brought it head-to-head with Apple. For founders and entrepreneurs, they also offer their unique insight into startups and unpack what you can learn about patience, platform strategy, and design in the middle of a platform shift. In this episode, you will:
The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||
| Startup Tech Stacks: Make Your Product Stand Out & Get Used w/ Joseph Ruscio | 25 Aug 2025 | 01:04:17 | |
What makes a great tech infrastructure startup? And how do the best ones successfully navigate, and stand out from, the overcrowded market? In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Joseph Ruscio, General Partner at Heavybit and former CTO of Vibrato, to unpack the dos and don'ts of tech infrastructure startups, how open source fuels growth, and why AI is changing the way software is built. With over 20 years in system software and a portfolio including LaunchDarkly, Netlify, and PagerDuty, Joe brings a front-row perspective to the future of startup building. The conversation dives into bottom-up growth, developer adoption, and the open source strategies that give founders leverage—and how AI agents are reshaping the role of the software engineer. In this episode, you will:
DevGuild Open Source: http://heavybit.com/devguild/open-source The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Key links Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/ | |||