StartUp Podcast

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The second is: How to Divide an Imaginary Pie.

Alex decides that he can't build the company by himself, so he links up with co-founder Matt Lieber. But before Alex and Matt can lock in their partnership, they need to discuss one pesky little detail… equity. In the after show, Alex takes a listener call and they discuss the tricky business of splitting equity.

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In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The first is: How Not to Pitch a Billionaire.

In this episode, Alex explains how he got the idea to document the start of his own company. He talks with his wife Nazanin about what shoes to wear to his first investor pitch. And then, there’s that… infamous first pitch to Chris Sacca. In the after show Alex talks to Chris Sacca about his experience appearing on Alex, Inc.

For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

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All this week we’ve been following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.

It’s Friday, the fifth and final day of StartupBus. By the end of today, one company will be crowned the winner of the competition. But before the final pitches take place, a mysterious opponent emerges to challenge the five finalists. 

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Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.

It’s Thursday, day four on StartupBus. The bus has finally arrived in New Orleans, where teams from all six buses will go up against one another and pitch for a spot in the finals. By the end of the day, only five teams will be left standing. And a behind-the-scenes look at the judging process raises some concerns for reporter Eric Mennel.

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Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.

It’s Wednesday, day three on StartupBus. Teams have just 24 hours left to refine their pitches before the competition begins. And reporter Eric Mennel sits down with some of the bus riders to learn more about why they signed up for this unusual hackathon in the first place.

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Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.

It’s Tuesday, day two on StartupBus. Now that teams have settled on ideas for their companies, it’s time to start building. But when tension runs high, one company considers kicking one of their own members off the team.

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This summer, 20 strangers got on a bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For five days, they had one goal: to build and launch companies while on the bus. We’ll be telling this story as it unfolded — with one new episode, every day, over the next five days.

Today’s episode: Monday. Day One.

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This past summer, 20 strangers got on a charter bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For three days they had one goal: Build and launch companies from inside the bus. And then? Compete against each other.

Reporter Eric Mennel documented it all. And next week, it drops as a five-day, in-real-time miniseries.

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When a group of college kids in Florida set out to change the music industry, they did not anticipate how disruptive they would be. Their mission was a noble one: bring an end to online piracy by offering cheap, convenient, and legal access to music. Their execution, however, was less than thorough. And when you’re dealing with protective music labels, forgetting to dot an “i” or cross a “t” can mean being one lawsuit away from the swift and unceremonious collapse of your company.

This is the story of Grooveshark, the people who built it, and the relationships that were tested during its rocky road to growth—and its eventual demise.

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On the last episode of StartUp, we followed the government-sponsored desert race that launched the self-driving car industry. This week, we see what the industry looks like today. You’ve probably heard that Google, Uber, and Tesla are pumping resources into developing autonomous vehicles. But there are plenty of smaller, younger companies in the space. What are they doing to keep up with the major players?

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