Episodes

  • Designing a more intelligent firearm with Kai Kloepfer from Biofire
    Oct 29 2024

    Recorded live from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Found co-hosts Becca Szkutak and Dominic Davis sit down with Kai Kloepfer, CEO of Biofire, a smart gun company that aims to prevent firearm misuse. Kloepfer gets into the hurdles of building a hardware startup in the firearm industry from fundraising to building a reliable product. Please note this conversation deals with topics around gun violence and suicide.

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    27 mins
  • How smart UX can lead to company success with Howie Liu from Airtable
    Oct 22 2024

    This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Howie Liu, the CEO and co-founder of Airtable to talk about how the Airtable team used smart UX to make app development accessible to even the least technical users. They also discuss how human-computer interaction is at the core of Airtable’s mission and behind each new product they put out. And they get into early missteps, the investor advice that Liu didn’t follow, and the unlikely inspiration behind Airtable’s design.

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    46 mins
  • Competing in the payroll and benefits space with Josh Reeves from Gusto
    Oct 15 2024

    This week on Found Dom and Becca talk with Josh Reeves, co-founder and CEO of Gusto. He shares how the company is transforming small business operations. We explore the complexities of payroll, benefits, and compliance, and how Gusto is helping entrepreneurs navigate these challenges. They also discuss hoe Gusto has managed to stand out in a competitive industry and the important of being excited by the problem you're solving as an entrepreneur.

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    44 mins
  • Scaling a DTC toy business with Sandra Oh Lin from KiwiCo
    Oct 8 2024

    In this week's episode of Found, KiwiCo’s Sandra Lin talks about building a STEM-focused toy business. She explains the importance of inspiring creativity in kids, the company’s massive growth to 50 million crates delivered, and how she sought out feedback from parents and kids alike. They also discuss how the company recently expanded from and online-only DTC to selling in brick and mortar stores.

    00:00 - Introduction
    01:24 - The Story Behind KiwiCo: From Idea to Business
    04:53 - Turning an Idea into a Marketable Product
    06:32 - Testing and Feedback Beyond the Bay Area
    10:00 - Early Marketing Strategies and Organic Growth
    15:50 - Expanding into Retail and New Channels
    16:06 - The Product Development Process at KiwiCo
    21:27 - Fundraising and Navigating the Venture Capital Path
    25:51 - Balancing Entrepreneurship with Family Life
    31:01 - Early Challenges and Lessons Learned
    35:08 - What’s Next for KiwiCo

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    44 mins
  • Driving change in the UK's used car market with Harry Jones from Motorway
    Oct 1 2024

    Most used car dealers in the U.K. get their stock from auctions, and one startup is moving the process online to make it easier for both car owners and car dealers. This week, Becca and special co-host Kirsten are talking with Harry Jones, the co-founder of Motorway, a U.K. startup helping professional car dealers to bid in an auction for privately owned cars for sale. Motorway has seen rapid success, with a car sold every three minutes and a GMV of £2.2 billion last year. In this episode, Becca, Kirsten and Harry chat about the importance of focusing on a core market and how he and his co-founders built a strong and lasting partnership.

    00:00 - Introduction and overview of Motorway

    03:03 - Early days and initial ideas for Motorway

    05:50 - Pivot to its current model

    08:08 - Working with dealerships

    10:18 - U.S. vs U.K. and market focus

    15:05 - Initial traction, challenges and demand from dealers

    25:39 - The co-founding team and their long-term collaboration

    30:31 - Lessons learned from previous companies

    36:04 - Motoway's future

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.

    Connect with us:

    • On Twitter
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    • Via email: found@techcrunch.com

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    48 mins
  • Finally an AI-powered Roomba for tennis with Haitham Eletrabi from Tennibot
    Sep 24 2024

    This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Haitham Eletrabi, the creator of Tennibot. They discuss his journey from civil engineering to inventing a device that he calls the "roomba for tennis". Tennibot not only picks up tennis balls autonomously but also saves players and coaches time, allowing them to focus on improving their game. Join us as we explore how this innovative product is transforming the tennis world, from its humble beginnings to becoming a game-changer in sports tech.

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    40 mins
  • Your data isn’t ready for AI with Prukalpa Sankar from Atlan
    Sep 17 2024

    Finding order in chaotic datasets is key for companies to be able to implement AI solutions that actually work. This week’s guest is Prukalpa Sanka, the co-CEO and co-founder of Atlan, a platform designed to help data teams build trust, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively. Atlan emerged from the challenges of managing complex data projects and is now empowering organizations to scale their data operations while maintaining transparency and trust. In this episode they discuss how Atlan has maintained a fun company culture despite the stress and how her and her co-founder have maintained a great working relationship for the past 12 years.

    00:00 - Introduction

    02:31 - Founding story and early challenges

    06:19 - Overcoming high-stakes data issues

    08:45 - The evolution of data and AI

    13:31 - Building a product to solve key problems

    16:13 - Adapting to technological change

    19:21 - The growing role of AI in business

    21:05 - Preparing data for AI integration

    24:27 - Addressing bias and ethics in AI

    26:52 - Fundraising and fun marketing

    31:34 - Maintaining a strong co-founder relationship

    33:47 - Final thoughts and reflections

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    41 mins
  • Closing the gaps in hormonal healthcare with Sylvia Kang from Mira
    Sep 10 2024

    Research is completely lacking when it comes to information about women’s hormonal health. Today’s guest is working to compile data and help women find the care they need. This week on Found, we’re talking to Sylvia Kang, the CEO and co-founder of Mira, a women’s health company that is providing home hormonal testing. They discuss the challenges on fundraising for women’s health startups, the importance of research to drive change and access in healthcare, and how Mira forged a new path by becoming FDA approved.

    00:00 - Introduction and Overview of Women’s Hormonal Health
    01:45 - The Lack of Hormonal Health Data and Fertility Challenges
    05:11 - The Inspiration Behind Starting Mira
    07:30 - Early Feedback from Doctors and Investors
    10:58 - The Evolution of the Women’s Health Market
    13:25 - Overcoming the Lack of Scientific Research and Data Collection
    16:51 - Impact of COVID-19 on Mira’s Growth
    18:42 - Mira as a Cost-Effective Solution to Fertility Issues
    21:29 - Mira’s Expansion Beyond Fertility and into IVF
    25:02 - Utilizing AI to Personalize Hormonal Health Tracking
    28:35 - Sylvia’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
    32:15 - Building a Female-Driven Company Culture at Mira
    34:49 - The Future of Women’s Health and Expanding Mira’s Impact

    Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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    44 mins