June 25, 2026

Language opens doors in negotiation - Kate Liburdi - S6 - E17

19 minutes

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing [email protected] with the subject line Founder’s Life.

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👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Kate Liburdi

Website: https://conversifi.com
Platform: https://app.conversifi.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateliburdi/

What happens when a project burns through a million dollars and still doesn’t work?

In this episode, Kate Liburdi, Co-Founder and CEO of Conversifi, shares one of the most valuable lessons of her career, how a failed software project became the foundation for everything she learned about leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Kate discusses building Conversifi into a platform used by more than 100 universities, helping language learners connect with native speakers around the world through authentic conversations and cultural exchange.

We also talk about startups, family, productivity, focus, language learning, and why entrepreneurs often need to remove complexity instead of adding more to their business.

What you’ll learn:

• The leadership lesson behind a $1 million failure
• Why focus is one of the most valuable entrepreneurial skills
• How Conversifi is changing language learning
• The importance of feedback and collaboration in product development
• Why subtraction often creates more growth than addition