In “Dear First-Time Founders,” our hosts Stacey Lawson and Maria Sipka sit down with our incredible founders to talk about their journey of navigating the other “F” word in Silicon Valley - Fear & Failure. How did they overcome them? How did they navigate and get back up?
The podcast “Dear First-Time Founders” is produced by Second Time Founders, a community founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
New episodes coming out bi-weekly on Friday.
For inquiries and feedback on the podcast, please contact us at kwiri@secondtimefounders.com. We are always happy to chat!
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10. Patrick Lee (Co-Founder @Rotten Tomatoes): The importance of founder focus
Season 1 · Episode 10
Saturday, August 28, 2021 • Duration 58:42
An entrepreneur, a startup advisor, a mentor, and a movie producer, Patrick is one of the most seasoned multiple-time founders, and he is best known for co-founding the leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews, Rotten Tomatoes. Dive in to learn about the founder journey of Patrick, from finishing college in 10 years, building the big collaboration with Disney, explaining the meaning of the name ‘Rotten Tomatoes’, and exploring his aspirations of creating a better future.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
0:13 - About Patrick
2:26 - First company
3:48 - Juggling between school and company building
5:53 - The decision of going into the entertainment industry
9:54 - The origin of the name “Rotten Tomatoes”
10:54 - Relationship with flagship brands
17:23 - How to build a network
23:35 - Building Private Keep out
28:42 - What drives to keep building one company after the other
30:24 - Advice for 1st time founders
34:19 - A common mistake from founders
41:05 - One resource that keeps helping him
42:54 - About Gold House Collective
47:23 - Do the things from the heart
56:13 - Company culture
56:31 - Favorite book
57:06 - If he were not a founder, what would he be?
Connect with Maria through https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasipka/
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>> CONNECTED WITH 2TF <<
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
9. Robert Bent (Co-Founder @Othership): Inspirations Seeking & the Mental Health Revolution
Season 1 · Episode 9
Friday, July 30, 2021 • Duration 44:02
A firm believer in conscious leadership, Robert Bent is currently the CEO of Othership (previously Inward Breathwork), a company he has co-founded to solve the problem of loneliness. By creating the breathwork platform, Robert hopes to build a community that can onboard people into a happier and healthier life. Besides Inward Breathwork, Robert has also been a passionate mentor at Ethereum for the past four years, and has previously helped co-found companies INVI Energy in 2014 and Roamly in 2010.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
1:08 - About Robert
8:41 - First company: Romly
16:23 - Being human and the notion of failure
18:17 - Current company
27:02 - The Dark Retreat
35:24 - Leadership is an antidote to external validation
38:12 - Advice for 1st time founder
39:29 - Favorite books & podcasts
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>> ABOUT ROBERT & MARIA <<
Connect with Robert through https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbiebent/.
Connect with Maria through https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasipka/
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>> MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE <<
Article: Robert’s article on The Dark Retreat
Book: Stillness is The Key - Ryan Holiday
Podcast: First Round Podcast from First Round Ventures
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>> CONNECTED WITH 2TF <<
1. Marko Gargenta (Founder @Plusplus.co): Re-writing the definition of success
Season 1 · Episode 1
Friday, March 19, 2021 • Duration 31:05
Marko dropped out of college to start his first company in Silicon Valley, only to see it bomb during the dot com crash. Shifting from fast, rapid growth to slow and steady development, he built Marakana, an IT training service which was acquired by Twitter in 2013. With his new definition of success that focuses on "impact," Marko is now the founder of Plusplus.co with the aim to share tribal knowledge within an organization.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
[1:00] About Marko
[3:21] Dropped out of college to Silicon Valley
[6:14] First startup failure
[11:36] Service-based company vs product-based company
It can be a struggle to find the right solutions, inspiration, and purpose for you and your company. But you push through the struggle and, ‘Wallah!’, you’re a founder. But that’s just the beginning. A founder’s journey is filled with self-doubts, obstacles, or just simply... “What have I gotten myself into?” In ep 0, have a listen on how our two hosts, Stacey and Maria, navigate their journeys as founders through uncertainties. Have a glance at who we are, what stories we will tell in “Dear First-Time Founders,” and most importantly, why we choose to do this podcast in this episode.
--------------------------
>>TIME FRAME<<
[0:50] A difficult moment when building your company from Maria & Stacey
[2:20] About our host, Stacey Lawson
[3:35] About our host, Maria Sipka
[7:18] Biggest lesson learned as founder from our hosts
[10:00] The values of the "Dear First-Time Founders" podcast
[12:45] About the company Second Time Founders (2TF)
Stacey Lawson at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-lawson-204a3/
Maria Sipka at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasipka/
8. Jochen Boeykens (Founder @Torus.vc): What Investors Wish Founders Knew
Season 1 · Episode 6
Friday, July 16, 2021 • Duration 27:45
Jochen Boeykens is a multiple-time entrepreneur and investor. He is currently the founder of Torus Capital, a fund bringing together entrepreneurs to invest in early-stage technology companies. Throughout his career, Jochen has been involved in numerous startup ventures. He is currently co-CEO at Skindr, a healthcare startup connecting people to dermatologists. Moreover, he has previously helped startups like KeyConcepts BVBA and TapCrowd achieve success, both of which were eventually acquired.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
0:46 - About Jochen
3:28 - Decision to invest in 3 small startups
6:12 - Lessons from early ventures
8:07 - Current company
9:48 - Questions Jochen gives to founder as an investor
12:49 - Mistakes founders usually make
15:22 - Biggest personal challenge
16:31 - An epiphany and a change of mindset
17:37 - Meditation’s impact on his life
19:01 - Tools and resources for 1st time founder
20:29 - Key lessons from a founder turned an investor
22:02 - Favorite books & podcasts
22:53 - A take on meaning of life
23:31 - Someone he admired
24:20 - A surprising fact
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>> ABOUT JOCHEN & STACEY <<
Connect with Jochen through https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochenboeykens/ and get to know .
7. Barry Stamos (Co-Founder @1heart): Love as the Human Accelerator
Season 1 · Episode 7
Friday, July 2, 2021 • Duration 49:43
As a Conscious Capitalist Barry currently operates as the CMO of 1Heart, a company he co-founded to foster a new generation of companies and leaders who create from their heart, aligned to their purpose, and collectively elevate the consciousness of the planet. Prior to 1Heart, Barry founded a marketing company ‘INBOX’ in 2001, which was acquired by Responsys, and later by Oracle. Barry has also been recognized by Techweek as one of the top 100 Most Influential Leaders in Technology. He also currently serves as interim CMO, advisor, board member, angel investor and philanthropist
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>>TIME FRAME<<
0:46 - About Barry
2:06 - Being a conscious capitalist
7:06 - One thing you wish you had known
10:34 - Newest endeavor: 1Heart
15:04 - Learn to operate things with your heart
20:28 - The role of “Chief Heart Officer”
24:02 - Motivation to build a company after another
29:09 - Necessary mindset as a founder
32:00 - Tools that help him to become more conscious
34:37 - Advice for 1st time founder
36:36 - What have you learned about fear and failure?
39:36 - Favorite books & podcasts
42:41 - Practical advice from Barry
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>> ABOUT BARRY & STACEY <<
Connect with Barry through https://www.linkedin.com/in/bstamos/ and get to know 1Heart.
6. Diana Hu (Director of Engineering @Niantic, Inc.): Building relationships in the Augmented Reality field
Season 1 · Episode 4
Friday, June 18, 2021 • Duration 42:22
Diana is starting a new (stealth) company. Previously she was the founder and CTO of Escher Reality, a YC startup acquired by Niantic. At Niantic, she was the head of the AR platform and led all AR initiatives in engineering and product. In the past, she built and led data science teams to bring research projects into production for "OnCue", a cloud television platform spun off from Intel and acquired by Verizon Labs.
--------------------------
>>TIME FRAME<<
[0:50] About Diana
[7:15] What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
[9:17] Applications of AR
[12:55] First company: Escher Reality
[15:56] Acceptance to Y Combinator
[18:54] Most proud ventures
[21:11] Nurturing and developing communities
[23:56] Diana’s unique qualities
[25:49] About vulnerability
[30:12] Moments of fear as a founder
[31:10] Training tool and mindset for a founder
[32:35] Everyday routine
[33:33] Build company → Sell company → Build company
[35:15] Traits and qualities of founders whom Diana invested in
[36:54] Advice for first time founders
[40:15] Favorite books and podcasts
--------------------------
>> ABOUT DIANA & MARIA <<
Connect with Diana through https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdianahu/
Connect with Maria through
5. Diego Saez-Gil (Co-founder @Pachama): AI & the Mission to Restoring Nature
Season 1 · Episode 5
Friday, May 28, 2021 • Duration 40:59
Diego Saez-Gil is the Co-Founder & CEO of Pachama, a company aiming to restore nature by creating a marketplace for forest carbon offsets. Pachama is Diego’s third startup following WeHostels (2011), the first mobile-only travel booking app (acquired by StudentUniverse) and Bluesmart (2015), the world's first smart luggage with GPS tracking (acquired by Travelpro). Dive in to hear Diego’s stories of following his passions of saving Mother Earth.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
[0:47] About Diego
[6:29] First company
[8:57] One lesson from your 1st company
[10:25] Second company
[12:53] The “Black Swan” event
[15:43] The start of Pachama
[19:46] Behind the name Pachama
[23:04] What does Pachama do?
[25:23] The future of Pachama
[27:53] Lessons that shape Diego’s leadership
[30:40] Tools and mindsets of a founder
[33:04] The house got burnt down
[35:35] Advice for first-time founders
[36:59] Resources for first-time founders
[38:26] Someone he deeply admires
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>> ABOUT DIEGO & STACEY <<
Connect with Diego through https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsaezgil/ and get to know Pachama.
4. Maria Sipka (Co-Founder @Linqia): Connecting the Dots of Creativity and Consciousness
Season 1 · Episode 4
Friday, May 14, 2021 • Duration 44:27
Maria Sipka was amongst the first to pioneer influencer marketing in early 2000 and the co-founder at Linqia - a leading enterprise technology company headquartered in San Francisco. At the age of 19, she founded her first company - a content marketing agency that grew to be one of Australia's most respected consultancies and from there she was part of the founding team at XING - today a $1.4B publicly traded company. Additionally, Maria has been recognized as one of the leading women in technology by Forbes and is a contributor to the Forbes Agency Council. Maria is passionate about Social Impact Storytelling based on the belief that all ideas start with two things, emotional connection, and inspired action.
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>>TIME FRAME<<
[0:41] About Maria
[2:10] Childhood influence
[7:33] First entrepreneurial endeavor as a teenager
3. Willem Bult (Co-Founder @Cloud Sangha): Self-development and community-building through meditation
Season 1 · Episode 3
Friday, April 30, 2021 • Duration 43:56
Building on his passion for helping people live healthier, happier, and more conscious lives, Willem co-founded Cloud Sangha — an inclusive community of meditators. Willem also advises companies and founders on topics such as technical and product strategy, leadership development, and organizational development. Outside of work you’ll find him riding his road bike or DJing deep house parties, preferably in the desert.
--------------------------
>>TIME FRAME<<
[0:51] About Willem
[3:24] Curiosity as the driving force
[5:14] One surprising thing about Willem
[6:11] Start of the entrepreneur endeavor
[12:47] One thing he wished he had known looking back
[14:38] The start of Cloud Sangha
[18:10] Advice for building a meditation practice
[20:08] Deeper meaning from meditation
[21:18] Values in coaching
[23:57] The metaphor for a life journey
[25:25] Lessons from building previous companies
[28:24] Building a workplace with trust
[30:44] Advice for 1st time founder
[32:51] Mind-training tool to stay in the presence
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Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Book: Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up - Jerry Colonna
Book: The Modernist Cuisine - Maxime Bilet and Nathan Myhrvold
-------------------------
>> CONNECTED WITH 2TF <<
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Book: Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness,by Frédéric Laloux
Book: Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values, by Fred Kofman
Book: The diamond cutter, by Michael Roach
Book: Bhagavad Gita
-------------------------
>> CONNECTED WITH 2TF <<
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
Second Time Founders (2TF) is founded on the belief that when founders create their second company, they choose to do things differently based on what they learned.
We at 2TF are committed to creating a space for founders to share knowledge, perspectives and resources that create positive changes in their consciousness, community, and the world. To do this, 2TF has developed an annual peer-focused forum to provide founders with the thought frameworks necessary for their success. Request an invitation here: https://lnkd.in/eSQemnH
