Build Mode

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Build Mode episodes

January 23, 2024Where gut health meets hypergrowth with Ben Goodwin from Olipop
Gut health might be having a moment on TikTok but Ben Goodwin the co-founder and CEO of Olipop knows first hand the monumental impact a healthy microbiome can have on your mental and physical health. Today on Found. Becca and Dom are joined by Ben to talk about how he led the gut-healthy soda brand to amass $200 million in gross sales just five years after their launch.
They also talked about:
How the team prioritizes access to the product in low-income areas and food deserts
Fundraising and pitching to CPG investors
The importance of health and wellness companies to do research to back up their products claims
The key to changing consumer behavior
(0:00) Introduction and two truths and a lie
(2:12) Olipop introduction
(5:42) Researching the microbiome
(11:34) The industrial diet in America
(15:03) Transitioning from research to product development
(17:49) Product nostalgia and marketing
(20:29) Market share in the beverage industry
(23:26) Olipop’s 200 million dollar year
(25:44) Targeting food deserts
(27:36) Time management as CEO
(31:06) Fundraising and pitching investors
(33:32) What’s next
(36:03) Host commentary
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 min
January 16, 2024Taking a DTC brand to IRL stores with Gabi Lewis from Magic Spoon
Grab your spoon and a carton of milk because today on Found we’re talking to Magic Spoon co-founder and CEO Gabi Lewis. Magic Spoon creates cereal flavors that play on our nostalgia for Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs with a grown-up high-protein twist. Dom and Becca talk with Gabi about how he and his co-founder prioritized product-market fit and found investors who didn’t think cereal was dead. They also talked about:
What Gabi learned from his previous startup Exo which made cricket-protein bars and how he’s changing his leadership style at Magic Spoon
Transitioning from being a solely DTC brand to in-store retailer and how he’s learned to manage buyer relationships and store-to-store drama.
How meticulously they develop new cereals and how they’ve incorporated customer feedback.
(0:00) Welcome Gabi Lewis
(1:45) Magic Spoon TLDR
(3:38) Innovating in the food industry
(11:40) Managing DTC and IRL retail
(24:00) Acquisitions and competition
(28:15) Entrepreneurship, product development, and leadership evolution
(35:32) Outro with Becca and Dom
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 min
January 09, 2024Lessons from 20 years in the language learning business with Markus Witte from Babbel
On today’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca talk to Markus Witte, co-founder of Babbel, a language learning app that had been operating since 2007. Babbel has become one of the most prominent language-learning apps but their first product was essentially just a vocab game and they quickly discovered that a multi-modal way of learning will always be more effective. Markus also talked about why he decided to step down as CEO and take on the role of chairman and how all four co-founders have worked together to stick to the original mission of Babbel even after nearly 20 years.
They also talked about:
Being a very early adopter of a subscription business model
The struggles of fundraising in Berlin in 2008 and how to operate intentionally lean
How the company has implemented AI tools back when AI was still machine learning.
Building a team that is deeply rooted to the original mission and how Markus developed the skills of an empathetic leader
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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38 min
January 02, 2024Scaling the freemium model with Alex Zaccaria from Linktree
This week Found is going down under. New Zealand-based TechCrunch reporter Rebecca Bellan talked with Alex Zaccaria the co-founder and CEO of Linktree about how they've scaled the freemium model to grow the social media reference landing page startup. Alex also talked about the challenges and benefits of fundraising internationally, the upside to raising in a more difficult climate, and how they see Linktree changing the way creators curate content for their audiences.
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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29 min
December 26, 2023What we learned from a year of talking to founders
Welcome to a very special host-only episode of Found. Dom and Becca are breaking down 2023 in startups by looking back on some of our favorite conversations and looking forward to predict some startup trends in 2024. They talked about innovative climate tech companies, AI ethics and fundraising, building good founder relationships, and what next year could look like for startups. Thanks to all our listeners for an amazing year, we’ll see you in 2024!
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 min
December 19, 2023Making justice more accessible with Charlie Hernandez from My Pocket Lawyer
This week’s episode is focused on Charlie Hernandez and his journey of building My Pocket Lawyer, an online platform that is meant to democratize access to legal advice and guidance for those that might not be able to afford a lawyer. Hernandez talked about why he decided to put his law degree to use to tackle this problem. He also talked about:
How My Pocket Lawyer uses AI to curate publicly available legal documents for its users
Why a startup is a better approach to tackle this problem compared to a nonprofit or pro bono legal work
The feedback he’s gotten from potential customers and the legal industry
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 min
December 12, 2023Crowdfunding a cleaner mobile power solution with James Wagoner form Joule Case
This episode centers on James Wagoner, the co-founder and CEO of Joule Case, a startup that is creating a cleaner alternative to diesel generators. Wagoner talked about his journey to launching the company after the first company he, and his co-founder, started didn't survive the 2008 financial crisis. He also talked about:
Why they chose to raise money through equity crowdfunding and how that's worked out for them
What it has been like building in this new environment for cleantech
How he, and his co-founder, have successfully worked together since meeting freshman year of college
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 min
December 05, 2023Why does MasterClass work? with David Rogier from MasterClass
Today on Found, we’re talking to David Rogier, the CEO and founder of Masterclass, a streaming platform where you can learn from the world’s experts on a variety of topics, from baking to screen writing to developing empathy. Before David launched MasterClass, he worked as a VC. Through his connections there received a $500,000 seed round before he even had an idea for a company. That was nearly a decade ago, and today Dom, Becca and David talk about how he’s built the company since.

They also talked about:
How MasterClass was able to land its notable names from the beginning
How the company has scaled after a disappointing launch
How MasterClass has adapted to its users needs during the pandemic and beyond

Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.
Connect with us:
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Via email: [email protected]
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

Connect with us:
On Twitter
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Via email: [email protected]
43 min
November 28, 2023Building for Medicaid's regulatory moment with Neil Batlivala from Pair Team
Medicaid is in its regulatory moment. Today we’re joined by Neil Batlivala from Pair Team, which is building the infrastructure that will help the most vulnerable populations get the clinical and social care they need through the Medicaid expansion. Dom and Becca talked to Neil about how his previous health tech experience lead him to start a company solely focused on connecting care facilities like food pantries and shelters to clinical training and care through Medicaid funding. They also talked about:
Why there is a gap in health tech to serve our most vulnerable communities
The regulatory issues that dictate the businesses growth and expansion to new states
How he thinks about doing well financially and doing good in the world
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 podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.
Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.
Connect with us:
On Twitter
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Via email: [email protected]
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

Connect with us:
On Twitter
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Via email: [email protected]
43 min
November 21, 2023Owning the earscape market with Lisa Bubbers and Anna Harman from Studs
Studs co-founders and good friends Lisa Bubbers and Anna Harman want to own your ear piercings. They are helping Gen Z people and millennials create their dream earscape with piercing studios that are opening across the country. They talk with Becca and Dom about building and fundraising for a VC-backed brick and mortar business.They also talked about:
The importance branding has played in the success of Studs
How they pivoted during the COVID lockdowns to include a robust e-commerce option
The way that they think about planning their next city for expansion
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 podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction.
Go to found.simplecast.com to find episode transcripts.
Connect with us:
On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: [email protected]
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

Connect with us:
On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: [email protected]
39 min

About Build Mode

From the publisher's feed

On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding…