Virgilio gave us exclusive insights into the company's incredible track record of raising funds from some of the most powerful venture capital firms such as Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst. 

He also discusses why he believe attracting the best talent is more important for a startup than anything else, and the importance of thinking from first principles as an outsider in the healthcare industry. 

Website ► https://swordhealth.com/

LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/swor...

Twitter ► @SwordHealth

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TERRA ► http://tryterra.co

More Podcasts ► https://tryterra.co/podcast

Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi

LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terr...

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00:48 - Intro

03:51 - Raising the initial funds 

05:13 - How their products changed over the years

07:53 - Introduction to Khosla Ventures

10:03 - The first product that went to the market

13:53 - The moment they found a product-market fit 

15:03 - Series A journey - cold emailing Vinod Khosla

21:03 - What he wrote in his cold email to Khosla Ventures

22:02 - First hire in the US - Chief Talent Officer

24:12 - The power of VCs and how they feed you talent

26:01 - Philosophy on hiring

30:20 - How to find the unique candidates in an interview

33:26 - Training people to become managers

34:44 - Going from $2M to $100M

40:08 - Listening to your users and customers

45:17 - Thinking from first principles and being an outsider

47:39 - Key learnings from the best investors in the world

50:39 - What we should expect from Sword in the future

In this podcast, we had an in-depth conversation with Niko Bonatsos from General Catalyst.

Niko shared his story from his upbringing in Greece and his long academic journey that spans across the University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford University.

He talks about the power of connectivity in Silicon Valley that led him to join General Catalyst and what it was like cold-emailing Elon Musk and seeing Steve Jobs walking his dog across the neighborhood in Silicon Valley.

The conversation also dives into the similarities and discrepancies between venture funding and the startup environment in Silicon Valley, US, and Cambridge, UK.

Lastly, Niko gave us exclusive insights into what he looks for in founders he invests in and the main pitfalls he sees in young entrepreneurs.

GC Website ► https://www.generalcatalyst.com/

Niko's Twitter ► @bonatsos

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TERRA ► http://tryterra.co

More Podcasts ► https://tryterra.co/podcast

Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi

LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi

00:00 Intro

00:45 - Pre-history to General Catalyst

02:08 - What brought Niko to Stanford University

05:34 - Introduction to General Catalyst

11:30 - The evolution of GC and Niko's investment philosophy

17:08 - What Niko is looking for in great founders

18:09 - Why Niko invested in Terra

24:37 - Common mistakes from early-stage founders

34:40 - Thoughts on European Ecosystem

43:20 - The best and worst ways for founders to approach Niko

In our recent podcast, we had an in-depth conversation with Ray from DC Rainmaker. Ray shared the journey of launching the most well-known blog and Youtube channel and his views on the wearable market.As he began using various wearable devices, his experience with an old Polar watch led him to the more recognizable Garmin Forerunner 305. This progression from user to reviewer was natural, and he detailed his first steps into blogging with a review of Garmin in 2007.Ray also offered a candid look at the competitive landscape of wearables. He spoke about ambitious but short-lived brands and why they struggled against the likes of Garmin. Much of this was attributed to the steep challenges new brands face when trying to innovate and meet the benchmark set by established brands.Our discussion also ventured into the software realm. Ray pointed out that while Garmin's hardware is impeccable, its software has historically lagged. He attributes this in part to Garmin's hiring practices and their decision related to acquiring and integrating MotionBased, which inadvertently gave Strava an edge in the platform world.The Blog, The Youtube channel, Ray's Twitter, --TERRA, More Podcasts,Twitter,LinkedIn

In this video, we spoke with Josh Clemente, Founder and President of Levels. Josh gave us an exclusive insight into the early days at Space, collaborating with NASA and learning from Elon Musk. 

Josh also talks about their unique product launch strategy in Levels, centered around constant product iterations and continuously speaking to customers. He is giving us insights on how one of the world's most successful metabolic health companies is running and insights on Glucose, Insulin, and many more.

Lastly, he addresses Level’s distinct asynchronous remote-first culture while maintaining its infamous responsible engineer framework. 

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:40 - Early days at SpaceX, learning from Elon Musk 

00:07:00 - Culture at SpaceX and Levels - using the responsible engineering framework 

00:09:00 - How the Levels founding team was formed, and Josh being patient zero

00:13:30 - Product launch strategies and similarity to YC’s product launch philosophy

00:20:05 - How the first people learned about Levels and how Covid put them on the map

00:25:50 - Correlation between glucose and insulin and defining metabolism

00:41:50 - Building a unique culture at Levels and why they don’t use Slack

00:50:30 - First principles thinking and other mental models

00:54:20 - The future of hardware sensors Level’s 5-year plan

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More about Levels ► https://levelshealth.com/

More about Josh ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshclemente/

Levels Podcast ► https://www.levelshealth.com/podcasts

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The Site ► http://tryterra.co

More Podcasts ► https://blog.tryterra.co/podcast/home

Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi

LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi

In this podcast, the founder of Hydrow, Bruce Smith, provides an in-depth look into the company's evolution that aims to revolutionize rowing. Hydrow was established to make rowing accessible to all, putting to bed the misconception that it's an elite-only exercise. 

The idea originated from a frustration with rowing machines which taught individual, not collective, rowing. Hydrow synchronizes individual rowers through screens, creating an environment similar to team rowing.

Hydrow was fortunate to attract top-tier talent, including Chief Technology Officer Chris Paul, who helped build an innovative, patented algorithm for rowing machine design. The company's technology enhanced the rowing experience by delivering a water-like feel and dynamically adjusting resistance.

Building warm relationships with key partners, such as manufacturers in Taiwan, contributed significantly to Hydrow's success. This and strategic marketing techniques like a productive Indiegogo campaign helped establish a proof of concept and create a wider audience.

Looking forward, Hydrow aims to utilize personalized data for crafting experiences users will love, paired with insights about whole health for optimized results. 

With Kevin Hart on board and a new innovative program known as Hydrow High, the future of Hydro includes a better understanding of individual users, climate change combat, and promoting better decision-making through more detailed training.

00:00 Intro

00:01 Making rowing accessible to everyone and delivering the benefits to a global audience.05:18 Hiring the best talent from Harvard and MIT

10:29 The Leap Forward

15:47 The Indiegogo campaign and selling close to a thousand units

20:46 Finding manufacturing partners in Taiwan

25:33 Building relationships with key partners

30:12 Going to industry shows and understanding the market

35:02 How to build warm introductions

39:57 Personalised data

45:00 Hydrow High and Kevin Hart

49:52 The future of Hydrow

The Site ► https://hydrow.com/

The Origin Story ► https://hydrow.com/

TERRA ► http://tryterra.co

More Podcasts ► https://tryterra.co/podcast

Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi

LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi

In this episode, host Kyriakos speaks with triathlon legend Alistair Brownlee. They explore Alistair's journey from his early days, growing up in an athletic household and completing his first triathlon at the age of eight, to becoming a world-class athlete. Alistair shares his training regime, consisting of a mix of swimming, running, and cycling, and how he was experimenting with different training techniques from an early age.

A significant part of the conversation focuses on nutrition, with Alistair acknowledging how his diet has evolved over the years. He underscores the importance of performance nutrition, especially for the intense nature of triathlons. He also discusses the benefits of carbohydrate and blood analysis testing, which helped him maintain his energy levels during competitions.

Alistair elaborates on his use of technology in training, such as heart rate monitors and power meters, to regulate his training load. Finally, the conversation shifts to Alistair's post-athletic career as an entrepreneur and investor, discussing his interest in health and fitness-related ventures that resonate with his personal values. He also touches on the satisfaction he derives from supporting founders to achieve their goals.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:01 - Motivation Fluctuations During a Swim Session

05:05 - Triathlon Training: The Role of Unstructured Experimentation and Polarized Training

10:20 - Evolution of Nutrition: From Childhood to a Professional Athlete

15:47 - The Importance of Optimized Nutrition and Recovery for Endurance Athletes

20:49 - The Significance of Consistent Exercise for Health and Performance

25:33 - Overcoming Exercise Barriers for Consistent Training

30:25 - Venture into Health and Fitness Startups

35:10 - Establishing a Fund for Sport Tech Investment and Promoting Activity

For more video podcasts, visit here. Read the full text of the interview here.

Listen to the podcast on:

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Apple Podcasts

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In this engaging podcast, Daniel, a passionate cyclist and co-managing director of Rapha, discusses his journey from everyday commuting to joining the global cycling brand. He talks about Rapha's humble beginnings and its expansion into a global community. Daniel gives insights into Rapha's product lifecycle and their collaboration with elite cycling teams like EF Education-EasyPost and Team Sky. He explains how creating products for pro athletes is like customizing a luxury car, emphasizing durability and adaptability. The conversation further explores Rapha's vision to inspire the world to live life by bike, the crucial role of clubhouses, and how 60% of their customers discover Rapha through advocacy and product visibility. Daniel also comments on the brand exposure from Netflix shows and shares the importance of 'suffering' in Rapha's culture, which symbolizes the transformative journey of cycling.00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:30 - Daniel’s journey at Rapha 00:06:30 - Product lifecycle00:08:30 - Products of pro-athletes vs everyday cyclists00:12:30 - How Rapha built a global brand00:21:20 - Fighting through the COVID pandemic00:24:30 - Referrals and word-of-mouth00:25:40 - Tour de France and athlete endorsements00:32:20 - Four values engraved in Rapha’s culture   00:36:30 - The future of Rapha►More about Rapha►The Site ►More Podcasts  ►Twitter►LinkedIn

In this video with spoke with John Coogan, Co-Founder of Soylent and Lucy, building a viral YouTube channel, and recently joined Founders Fund as an Entrepreneur in Residence. John shared some interesting insights into how to grow your audience on YouTube with storytelling and appealing to a broader audience.                       Moreover, John takes us through his journey of how he started his YouTube channel during the pandemic lockdown, and how he initially struggled with attracting viewers and engagement. He talks about how he wants to find a “white space” and steer away from all the mainstream videos that target negative news stories such as FTX, Theranos, SVB, etc.                       Later on, John reveals his success recipe on how he cracked the YouTube algorithm and how he found other social media outlets such as Twitter to be useless to drive views on YouTube. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling in the title, which enables the video to appeal to a broader audience on the platform.                       Lastly, John gives us some exclusive insights into what it’s like working at one of the most renowned venture capital firms worldwide - Founders Fund. John discusses his interests in the defense technology sector and Founders Fund’s successful investments in companies in this space such as Palantir, Anduril, and SpaceX. John also explains what it’s like working with Peter Thiel, and what ultimately makes Peter unique as an investor.                     00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:00 - History of Silicon Valley 00:04:00 - Identifying your white space on YouTube John Coogan, YouTube script  100:08:00 - Why Twitter is useless to drive views on YouTube  00:10:00 - How to crack the YouTube algorithm 00:15:50 - Y-Combinator experience with Soylent 00:21:45 - Using the “stress test” as a marketing tool  00:27:00 - John’s second startup: Lucy 00:32:00 - Defense technology work at Founders Fund 00:34:30 - Working with Peter Thiel 00:44:10 - Future plans - Founders Fund, YouTube, entrepreneurship More about John ► https://www.johncoogan.com/ The channel ► https://www.youtube.com/c/johncooganplus The Site ► http://tryterra.co More Podcasts ► https://blog.tryterra.co/podcast/home  Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi

In this podcast, we connected with Ryan DeLuca, Co-founder of BodyBuilding.com and Black Box VR. Below are some highlights of the conversation.

Anthony, a former Marine, shares his journey from a focus on fitness to a broader concern for health, triggered by his father's struggle with brain cancer. Following his service, he needed to support his family and turned his passion for fitness into a means of income. This led him to co-found Fitt Insider, one of the best media companies in the space of fitness, which started as a newsletter.

Anthony and his brother built Fitt Insider initially as a side project. They began by sharing their unique perspective on the fitness industry through a monthly newsletter, which rapidly grew in popularity. The company's offering expanded to include a podcast and a free jobs board, all centered on providing valuable, actionable content to fitness industry professionals. Their commitment to consistency and value creation has resulted in a deeply engaged community that trusts and relies on Fitt Insider.

He also shares his thoughts on the future of gyms and wearables. According to him, the key to successful gyms is creating a community that engages people in functional, accessible workouts. On wearables, while acknowledging the potential of such technology, he emphasizes its need to connect with people's lives in meaningful, affordable ways. Anthony advocates for focusing on helping average individuals who are struggling rather than catering to a small, high-performing, or affluent audience.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - 00:01:23: Anthony discusses his motivation behind joining the Marines and his experiences serving, particularly about how his father's illness drastically altered his life trajectory.

00:01:59 - 00:02:40: Anthony talks about his transition from military life back to civilian life, focusing on the impact of his father's illness on his decisions, and his early experiences in fitness and personal training.

00:04:05 - 00:07:49: Anthony chronicles his journey starting a gym with his brother, including the challenges they faced, the success they enjoyed, and the key lessons they learned that later helped shape their business approach.

00:12:34:08 - The evolution of the newsletters, how it was primarily referral-based and its organic growth over time.

00:16:24:01 - An in-depth explanation on how they curate their content, the importance of timing, and the value they bring by providing a deeper dive into topics rather than breaking the news first.

00:19:16:08 - 00:19:33:16 - Building Consistency and Showing Up

00:22:01:00 - 00:22:17:02 - the challenges of hiring and the subsequent launch of a job board

00:32:15:07 - 00:32:38:01 - Investing in Founders:

00:33:16:27 - 00:33:32:25 - Backing Teams Doing Good Stuff

00:35:08:27 - 00:35:32:12 - The Future of Wearables and Data Measurement

00:37:46:21 - 00:38:25:28 - The Value and Future of Wearables

00:38:43:03 - 00:39:01:04 - Future Plans and Expansion

00:40:13:01 - 00:40:59:21 - Building a Venture Media Flywheel