Startup Project

Startup Project episodes:

• 05.27.2024

  #76 How Product-First VC Mighty Capital is Picking great companies?

  In this episode of Startup Project, Nataraj sits down with SC Moatti, a serial entrepreneur, product manager, investor, and author. SC Moatti shares insights into his diverse career path, from building successful products to launching his own venture capital firm,...

  
• 05.15.2024

  #75 Satya Singh - Co-Founder of Scispot on redefining modern biotech's data infrastructure

  Satya, co-founder of Scispot, joins Startup Project's Nataraj to share his journey from leading a platform team at Expedia to starting a biotech company that solves data challenges for life science labs. In this episode, we discuss: Satya's unique career path,...

  
• 04.27.2024

  #74 Sajid Rahman - Angel Investor Secrets - Lessons from 1000+ Startup Investments

  Startup Project Podcast: Episode Notes - Navigating the Shifting Investment Landscape with Sajid Rahman Guest: Sajid Rahman - Top Angel Investor Host: Nataraj - Senior Product Manager, Investor at Incisive.vc & Startup Advisor Episode Overview: Join us as we delve into the evolving world of startups and venture capital with Sajid Rahman, a prolific angel investor with over 1000 investments. Key topics explored in this episode: Market Shift: Analyzing the transition from the funding boom to a more cautious investment environment. Exploring the prevalence of down rounds, the rise of secondary deals, and strategies for investors in the current climate. Dry Powder Explained: Demystifying the concept of dry powder – uninvested capital committed to VC funds. Understanding how and when VCs deploy capital and the implications for startups seeking funding. Web3 Deep Dive: Exploring the latest trends in the Web3 space, including the intersection of AI and blockchain, real-world asset tokenization, and the development of decentralized infrastructure. Discussing strategies for identifying promising projects and avoiding scams in this evolving landscape. AI Investment Landscape: Examining the current AI boom and the potential for both foundational models and application-layer companies. Addressing concerns about overvaluation and identifying key factors for successful AI investments. Sajid's Investment Strategies: Gaining insights into Sajid Rahman's approach to angel investing, syndicate management, and running multiple funds focused on Web3, YC companies, early-stage startups, and AI. Additional Resources: Connect with Sajid Rahman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahmansajid/ Connect with Nataraj on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natarajsindam/ Follow Startup Project for more episodes and updates: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cx7Q5r9Ow9eikxQjsJjjq?si=5d154bcf6b0541f7 #startup #investing #venturecapital #web3 #AI #angelinvesting #podcast #startupproject #secondarydeals #drypowder #blockchain #artificialintelligence #fundmanagement #YC #startupecosystem --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 04.15.2024

  #73 Brian Bell - From Product Manager to Full Time Investor

  Brian Bell is the Managing Partner at Team Ignite. Bell has experience in product development in AI at Microsoft, AWS, and startups. Full conversation includes:

  
• 04.01.2024

  #72 Todd Bishop GeekWire Co-founder, Business and tech journalist on big tech, AI and more!

  New episode with Todd Bishop, GeekWire's co-founder. Todd is a longtime business and technology journalist who reports on subjects including AI, the cloud, startups, and health technology, plus Amazon and Microsoft, in addition to hosting GeekWire's weekly podcast. This is Todd's...

  
• 03.11.2024

  #71 Peter Mueller Founding Partner Breakwater VC about Pre Seed Investing in Seattle Tech Startups

  In this episode Nataraj talked to Peter Mueller who is the founding partner of Breakwater ventures investing in early stage tech startups in Pacific Northwest and Wester Canadian Startups. The conversation includes: - how to think about angel investing & pre-seed investing? -...

  
• 02.25.2024

  #70 Brendan Rogers From Founding WAG (NASDAQ: PET) to Investing in India

  In this episode Nataraj spoke to Brendan Rogers Ex Cofounder of Wag, a NASDAQ listed public company. Full conversation includes: - Origin story of WAG - His journey into investing in India - Why he is bullish on Indian startups? - Opinion on different sectors...

  
• 02.13.2024

  #69 Direct-to-Consumer Companies & Long Tail Opportunity in AI (Above Average Newsletter)

  Welcome to 50th edition of the Above Average Newsletter. Your bi-weekly source of Above Average takes on the business of big technology written by Nataraj Sindam. Topic 1: What’s with Direct-to-Consumer Companies? What’s common among all these companies? All birdsBrilliant earth groupPelotonRent the...

  
• 02.03.2024

  #68 Why the new AI button on your keyboard is inevitable? (Above Average Newsletter)

  This episode is the audio version of Nataraj's newsletter Above Average. Welcome to 49th edition of the Above Average Newsletter. Your bi-weekly source of Above Average takes on the businss of big technology written by Nataraj Sindam. 1. Why the new AI...

  
• 01.08.2024

  #67 What late stage investors got wrong about investing in Startups? (Insight)

  For more unique insights on technology follow Nataraj on Twitter - ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/natarajsindam⁠⁠ & Instagram - ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/1nataraj/⁠ What late stage investors got wrong about investing in Startups? Confusion in the venture scene, especially with late-stage investments. Some firms raising funds for secondaries in startups, but...

  
• 01.01.2024

  #66 Why Rivian Will Become 2nd Largest EV Company in the US? (Insight)

  For more unique insights on technology follow Nataraj on Twitter - ⁠https://twitter.com/natarajsindam⁠ & Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/1nataraj/⁠ Why Rivian will become 2nd Largest EV Player in the U.S? Exploring the EV market in the US and the competition between Rivian and Tesla. Rivian stands...

  
• 12.18.2023

  #65 Why YouTube is Unbeatable? (Insight)

  Over long term YouTube will win over TikTok, Instagram & other video apps. Check out the video to see why. Follow Nataraj on Twitter - https://twitter.com/natarajsindam & Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/1nataraj/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 11.17.2023

  #64 Matt McIlwain – MD Madrona Venture Group on all Things Venture Capital

  Nataraj interviewed veteran VC Matt McIlwain of Madrona Venture Group on Startup Project podcast. Matt shared his insights into the state of venture capital and the impacts of AI, drawn from his 20+ years of experience. Some key takeaways: 1. Venture is...

  
• 10.28.2023

  #63 Jon Staenberg: Investing in Startups, Venture Funds & Search Funds

  In this episode, Nataraj spoke with John Staenberg, a veteran of the tech and venture capital world. John took Nataraj through his early days growing up in Omaha and attending Stanford University, where he was inspired by the culture of...

  
• 08.27.2023

  #62 Ashmeet Sidana - Founder of Engineering Capital on Investing in Technical Insights

  In this episode of the podcast, we feature Ashmeet Sidana, the founder and Chief Engineer of Engineering Capital. Ashmeet has an extensive background in engineering and venture capital, with experience as the Director of Product Management at VMWare and as...

  
• 08.06.2023

  #61 Joe Heitzeberg - From Tech Whiz to Sustainable Meat Entrepreneur

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@natarajsindam⁠ and on LinkedIn at ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/natarajsindam⁠ Join us in this captivating episode as we sit down with Joe Heitzeberg, a multifaceted entrepreneur who has navigated the world of technology and business with...

  
• 07.02.2023

  #60 Tim Chen - From Open Source Contributor to Investor in Infrastructure Startups

  Tim Chen is the Managing Partner at Essence VC, an early-stage fund focused on data infrastructure and developer tool companies. He has over a decade of experience leading engineering in enterprise infrastructure and open source communities and companies. Prior to...

  
• 06.03.2023

  #59 - Aseem Datar - Partner at Madrona Ventures - From Intern to General Manager at Azure

  Aseem joined Madrona in 2021 after spending almost twenty years as an operating executive. He works alongside founders building the future of next-generation infrastructure (core, security, DevOps), intelligent applications, robotics, and automation. Full conversation includes: From Intern at Windows to GM...

  
• 05.21.2023

  #58 - TA McCann - Professional Sailor, Serial Entrepreneur (5x Founder with 3 Exits), Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@natarajsindam⁠⁠ T.A. McCann is a serial entrepreneur with an impressive track record. He has founded and served as CEO of several successful companies. Some notable ventures include Senosis (acquired...

  
• 05.14.2023

  #57: How to Run Innovation Sessions with Bill Gates to Solve World Problems?

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠⁠@natarajsindam⁠⁠ In this episode Nataraj spoke to Taylor Black who co-founded Fizzy Inc. Post Fizzy Taylor worked at Innovation Science Fund & currently works as a Principal Product Manager...

  
• 05.07.2023

  #56: Why Wordpress dominates internet?

  #56: Why Wordpress dominates internet? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 04.30.2023

  #55: What is the insurance against Innovation Dilemma?

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠@natarajsindam⁠ In this episode Nataraj spoke to Taylor Black who co-founded Fizzy Inc. Post Fizzy Taylor worked at Innovation Science Fund & currently works as a Principal Product Manager...

  
• 04.23.2023

  #54: How Techstars Seattle Works & How Should Founders Think About It?

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠thestartupproject.io⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠acquired⁠ by Backstage and is...

  
• 04.16.2023

  #53 Taylor Black - Innovation Science Fund & Microsoft Incubator

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Taylor Black who co-founded Fizzy Inc. Post Fizzy Taylor worked at Innovation Science Fund & currently works as a Principal Product Manager...

  
• 04.09.2023

  #52: What is Sharegrid & how it got started?

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠thestartupproject.io⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠acquired⁠ by Backstage and is...

  
• 04.02.2023

  #51: Working in Tech vs Movie Business

  To stay up to date checkout ⁠thestartupproject.io⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠acquired⁠ by Backstage and is...

  
• 03.26.2023

  #50: Marius Ciocirlan - Managing Director Techstars Seattle, Co-Founder of Sharegrid (Acq by Backstage)

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was acquired by Backstage and is...

  
• 03.21.2023

  #49 Insidious Loops in Indian Startup Ecosystem (TSP Insights)

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam Deedy & Nataraj talk about Why is there no criticism about Indian startups in Indian media? What are the insidious loops in Indian startup ecosystem? Don't forget to follow Deedy's opinions at...

  
• 03.11.2023

  Shark Tank India vs Shark Tank U.S Differences Explained (TSP Insights)

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam Full Notes: One of the interesting things in Shark Tank India versus Shark Tank US that I've noticed is Shark Tank US is pretty much small and medium enterprise. If...

  
• 03.04.2023

  #31: Deedy (Debarghya Das) - Indian Startups, AI & Search

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam ----- In this episode Spoke to Deedy who writes amazing twitter threads on immigration,  Indian startups and more. Topic covered include: Tweet threads on Indian startups Shark Tank India vs...

  
• 02.20.2023

  #30: Jacob Colker - Co-Managing Director AI2 Incubator

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode of Startup Project Nataraj spoke to  Jacob Colker - Co-Managing Director AI2 Incubator. Inaugurated five years ago by the late Paul Allen and Professor Oren Etzioni,...

  
• 01.29.2023

  #29: Jacques Fu - Co-founder at Stax, Author of "Time Hacks"

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode of Startup Project Nataraj spoke to  Jacques Fu Co-founder at Stax, Author of "Time Hacks".  Stax is an all-in-one payment solution for small business. Stax has...

  
• 12.14.2022

  Google Got Chat Right 10 Years Back, But Didn't Know (TSP Insights)

  Google started and ended about 5 chat application in last 10 years, but the best chat application was already made by them before every one else. It was GTalk! To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter:...

  
• 12.07.2022

  Netflix No Longer Controls the Streaming Story (TSP Insights)

  Netflix for long dictated the streaming story, they set the narrative that other media companies scrambled to follow. But all that is changed now. To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam --- Send in a voice...

  
• 12.03.2022

  #28: Build In Public or Not? w/ KP

  In this episode of Startup Project we spoke to KP, Build In Public guy on Twitter. Full conversation includes: What is Build In Public? Cornering Keywords on Internet The Good, Bad & Ugly of Build In Public & more. To stay up to...

  
• 10.24.2022

  Venture Fund is a Startup (TSP Insights)

  To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam Launching a, a venture fund is not for the faint of heart, uh, and it is very much a startup activity.  Geoff Harris & Nataraj talk about the challenges...

  
• 10.01.2022

  #27 Geoff Harris: Managing Partner Flying Fish VC

  In this episode of Startup Project we spoke to Geoff Harris, Managing Partner Flying Fish VC. Flying Fish is a thesis driven fund focused on Al/ML. Geoff Harris spent 15 years at Microsoft in engineering leadership and executive leadership positions. His...

  
• 09.19.2022

  NFTs in Games? (Bonus Clip)

  What problems are NFTs solving in games, Liron & Nataraj (twitter.com/natarajsindam) discuss. Liron Shapira is known as the guy who write twitter threads about web3 use cases including Axie Infinity & Helium. But before becoming twitter famous, he is also a founder...

  
• 09.11.2022

  Democratizing Education (Bonus Clip)

  Nataraj & Eric (Hustle Fund) talk about how an Indian company BYJU's despite its flaws is helping democratizing education.  For Full conversation with Eric check out Episode 21 of Startup Project. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ceRBSjtTP8ROl8nR9AoT0?si=bf937a7778d24236 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 09.05.2022

  #26 Mohan Belani: Co-Founder of E27.co

  Todays guest is Mohan Belani the co-founder of E27.co. E27 is tech publication covering SEA startups. Full conversation includes: Origins of e27 Startups in SEA (Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia & Vietnam) Businesses model of e27 Events business ...

  
• 08.28.2022

  What is Amazon's Fourth Dreamy Business? (TSP Insights)

  Jeff Bezos defines dreamy businesses to have these characteristics: customers love it it can grow to very large size it has strong returns on capital and it's durable over time Amazon has 3 dreamy businesses prime, marketplace & AWS.  Todd & Nataraj...

  
• 08.22.2022

  #25 Todd Bishop: Co-Founder of Geekwire.com

  In this week's episode of Startup Project we spoke to Todd Bishop, Co-Founder of Geekwire. He is a longtime business and technology journalist who reports on subjects including AI, cloud, startups, and health technology, plus Amazon and Microsoft, & hosts...

  
• 08.16.2022

  500x Coinbase Exit (Bonus)

  For Full conversation with Liron check out episode 24 here. Website: thestartupproject.io Spotify Show Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cx7Q5r9Ow9eikxQjsJjjq?si=7cfcaf39db80490b --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 08.05.2022

  #24 Liron Shapira: Web3 Critique, Founder & Early Investor in Coinbase

  Liron Shapira is known as the guy who writes twitter threads criticizing web3 use cases. Other than being a web3 critic, he is also angel investor in Coinbase & Wyre (the irony), founder of a Y Combinator company & raised...

  
• 07.31.2022

  Story Behind Patagonia’s First Ecommerce Store (Bonus)

  Chris Devore and Nataraj talk about the brand ethos of Patagonia and the story behind the first ecommerce store of Patagonia. For full conversation with Chris, check out https://thestartupproject.io/2022/07/17/23-chris-devore-managing-partner-founders-co-op-remitly-auth0-outreach/ Nataraj is a PM at Azure,  investor  & host of thestartupproject.io  podcast. Follow him...

  
• 07.24.2022

  Is web3 hype about technology or political ideology? (TSP Insights)

  Chris Devore talks about web3 and if its the next big thing in tech.  For full conversation with Chris, check out https://thestartupproject.io/2022/07/17/23-chris-devore-managing-partner-founders-co-op-remitly-auth0-outreach/ Nataraj is a PM at Azure,  investor  & host of thestartupproject.io  podcast. Follow him on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/natarajsindam. --- Send in a...

  
• 07.17.2022

  #23 Chris DeVore: Managing Partner Founders Co-op (Remitly, Auth0 & Outreach)

  In this Episode of Startup Project, Nataraj talked to Chris DeVore, Founding Managing Partner of Founders’ Co-op, Pacific Northwest's leading seed-stage venture fund. Chris led the seed rounds for Seattle's most recent successful IPO Remitly (NASDAQ:RELY) and $4B+ Outreach, was...

  
• 07.09.2022

  How to Angel Invest? (TSP Insights)

  How to get started with Angel Investing? This clip was part of episode 21 of Startup project which is available at: https://thestartupproject.io/2022/05/31/21-eric-bahn-co-founder-general-partner-of-hustle-fund/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/startupproject/message

  
• 07.02.2022

  #22 Sudip Chakrabarti: Partner Decibel.vc Ex Partner at A16Z, Lightspeed & Madrona

  In this Episode of Startup Project, Nataraj talked to Sudip from decibel.vc. Sudip started two companies and got his PhD in computer engineering at Georgia Tech before becoming a VC investor at Andreesson Horowitz, Lightspeed, and Madrona. Full conversation includes: Building...

  
• 06.12.2022

  Hyper Leverage (Bonus Clip)

  Nataraj & Harvey from RUV Alliance talk about Leverage.  For full conversation check out the links below:   Youtube: https://youtu.be/rXMY1LDIb_U Website: https://thestartupproject.io/2022/02/05/12-harvey-multani-founder-ruv-alliance-miami100-dao-startup-project-by-nataraj/ Anchor: https://anchor.fm/tsp1/episodes/12-Harvey-Multani-Founder-RUV-Alliance--Miami100-DAO---Startup-Project-by-Nataraj-e1dvoi3 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0VgU4sMOX1AD5BCxLnVicm?si=3c9f834506e143da Nataraj is an engineer at Azure, partner at NVC & hosts thestartupproject.io podcast. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/natarajsindam & stay up to date here. #startups #leverage #economy...