Startups Decoded

Most founders try to build a company.

Sophie de Haën built one by accident.

And she did it while she was still in college.

Andy Walsh sat down with Sophie de Haën, founder of SDH Paints, to unpack one of the most unconventional founder journeys we’ve seen on Startups Decoded.

Sophie didn’t start with a startup idea, a pitch deck, or a plan to raise money. She started painting during COVID and sharing her work online. What began as a creative outlet quickly attracted attention. As her audience grew, people started asking to buy the art.

That simple feedback loop turned into SDH Paints — a fast-growing art-led brand with nearly 300,000 followers and six-figure annual revenue, all built while Sophie was still a college student.

But the real story isn’t just how the company started.

It’s how she chose to grow it.

Instead of chasing scale and momentum, Sophie made the unusual decision to slow the business down during her final year of college. After years of constant output, she stepped back to reconnect with her creativity and figure out what she actually wanted the next chapter to look like.

In this conversation, Andy and Sophie explore a different path into entrepreneurship, one where audience comes before product, community becomes the feedback loop, and the founder is evolving just as fast as the business.

This episode offers a glimpse into how the next generation of founders are emerging, often without meaning to.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

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What We Cover

• Building an audience before building a product
• Turning creativity into a business organically
• The creator-to-founder pathway
• Social media as a real-time product feedback loop
• The tension between art, commerce, and identity
• Why Sophie paused growth while the brand was working
• How authenticity builds stronger communities than strategy

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (Top 2% globally).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anwalsh/

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• Community & Events: Founders Circle
• Connect: LinkedIn
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• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) 

The Studio https://28thandpark.podyx.com/

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.

Alicia Teltz didn’t reinvent her life overnight. She made one decision.

That step led to losing 84 pounds, leaving a 10-year relationship, walking away from a high-paying corporate career, and starting over. In this episode we unpack what really blocks people from change. Confidence rarely shows up first. Momentum follows action.

Alicia shares the reality behind rebuilding your life, the mindset shift that comes with taking control, and why visibility on LinkedIn is less about tactics and more about showing up before you feel ready.

This conversation isn’t about reinvention as a buzzword. It’s about the moment you stop waiting.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Chapters

• 00:00 The decision that changed Alicia’s life
• 02:30 Leaving a “perfect” life behind
• 06:15 Losing 84 pounds and rebuilding confidence
• 10:00 Why bold decisions rarely start with confidence
• 15:30 Walking away from corporate security
• 19:45 Finding your voice online
• 24:30 What people misunderstand about LinkedIn
• 30:10 Authentic storytelling vs performative posting
• 36:45 Showing up before you feel ready
• 41:20 Helping founders build visibility online

Who Should Listen

• Founders at a crossroads
• Operators questioning their path
• Leaders navigating identity and visibility
• Anyone who knows something needs to change

Alicia Teltz

A LinkedIn personal branding and social selling expert and Chairwoman of The Hype Department. After 15 years in B2B tech sales at companies including SAP, Mastercard, Gartner, and LinkedIn, she left corporate to build her own business helping founders and executives grow influence through authentic online storytelling.

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (Top 2% globally).

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) 

The Studio

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.

AI has already changed how we create, search, and automate. The next step is prediction.

In this episode, Vanja Josifovski joins Andy Walsh to explore how enterprises can use their own private data to forecast future outcomes, automate decisions, and move from analysis to action. As CEO and Co-Founder of Kumo, Vanja is building predictive intelligence systems that sit on top of enterprise data and help companies improve revenue, reduce fraud, and make faster, better decisions.

This conversation explores how predictive AI is evolving, why trust remains the biggest barrier to adoption, and what happens when machines become better than humans at making mid-level operational decisions. We also get into the role of explainability, the future of work, and how AI will increasingly become natural language, instantaneous, and predictive.

Listen:

Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Subscribe now

In This Episode

• Why predictive intelligence is the next phase of AI
• How Kumo uses enterprise data to forecast future outcomes
• Where trust breaks down in AI adoption
• Why most business decisions will eventually be automated
• How explainability and human oversight shape adoption

Chapters

• 00:00 The Future of AI and Predictive Intelligence
• 04:12 Vanja’s Journey in Tech and AI Evolution
• 09:06 Trust and Acceptance in AI Technology
• 12:41 The Role of Predictive Intelligence in Business
• 18:10 Kumo’s Predictive Intelligence Model
• 24:37 Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement
• 30:37 The Future of Decision-Making with AI
• 35:10 The Impact of AI on Human Behavior and Society

Vanja Josifovski

CEO and Co-Founder of Kumo, a predictive AI platform that brings transformer and foundation model technology to enterprise tabular and relational data. Before Kumo, Vanja held senior leadership roles across major technology companies including Google, Yahoo, Airbnb, and Pinterest, with a long career focused on helping organizations use data to better serve customers, improve decisions, and scale intelligently.

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (Top 2% globally).

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) 

The Studio

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.

Power in startups is rarely where founders think it is.

Itamar Novick, Founder and GP at Recursive Ventures, has worked both sides of the table as a founder, operator, angel, and VC. He’s backed 150+ early-stage companies and helped founders raise over $500M, while also building companies like Life360 and Gigya from the inside.

In this conversation, we unpack the real power dynamics between founders and investors. We get into when founders should start thinking about leverage, how power gets handed over long before a board seat shows up, and why fundraising should be run like a focused sales process, not a random hunt for capital.

Itamar also breaks down where founders get contracts and cap tables wrong, why some businesses should never raise venture, and how seed-strapping is changing the path for early-stage companies.

This episode is for founders who want to raise smart, keep control, and understand the rules before they get expensive.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Chapters

• 00:00 Navigating the VC-founder power dynamic
•  05:12 Lessons from early fundraising
•  09:45 Iteration and learning
•  15:04 Advisors and decision-making
•  20:14 Understanding power before fundraising
•  25:13 Setting the right foundations
•  28:31 Taking control of fundraising
•  35:30 Contracts, cap tables, and control
•  41:40 Venture fit and seed-strapping

 47:44 What makes founders stand out

Itamar Novick

Itamar Novick is the Founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, a San Francisco-based VC fund investing in US pre-seed and seed startups. Since 2010, he has invested in more than 150 early-stage companies and was named a Business Insider Top 100 Global Seed Investor from 2021 to 2025.

Before VC, Itamar was a repeat entrepreneur and startup executive, including roles at Life360 and Gigya. His investment approach is shaped by operator experience and a clear belief that founders should be empowered to build and lead for the long term.

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (Top 2% globally)

Access All Areas.

• Subscribe: Substack
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) 

The Studio 

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.

The fundraising hangover is real.

Capital returned in 2025, but investors are now far more selective. Traction, revenue clarity, and capital efficiency matter more than vision decks.

In this episode, Roei Samuel joins Andy Walsh to share how he raised $23M+ without giving up board seats, and why that decision shaped Connectd’s growth and governance. We unpack how founders retain leverage in a tighter market, where progress must be measurable and every dollar justified.

This conversation explores fundraising as a system, covering negotiation, investor alignment, non-dilutive capital, and the growing role of fractional talent.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

In This Episode

• Why fundraising in 2026 rewards discipline
• Raising $23M+ without board dilution
• Where founders lose leverage in negotiations
• Fractional talent and capital efficiency
• Communicating traction investors trust

Roei Samuel 

Founder & CEO of Connectd, a platform connecting startups with investors, directors, and expert talent. After exiting RealSport, Roei launched Connectd in 2019. The platform now supports 90+ fractional hires per month, has driven 4× ARR growth for three consecutive years, and has raised $14M+.

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (500k downloads).

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Community & Events: Founders Circle
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com 

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2

The Studio 

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code "Decoded" for 25% off your first booking.

In a world of shifting algorithms and AI noise, winners aren’t the teams with the most tools, but the ones with the best orchestration.

Andy Walsh sits down with Brendan Tolleson, CEO of RevPartners and founder of Southbound. Brendan is focused on democratizing Revenue Operations (RevOps), turning it from a B2B luxury into a core growth engine for scaling companies.

Aligned with Southbound 2026’s theme, Timeless Principles & Timely Tactics, Brendan explains why 2.7x revenue growth isn’t luck. It’s structured alignment across GTM teams. We unpack the “Friction Tax” slowing startups and how platforms like HubSpot and Clay are reshaping modern revenue systems.

We also preview Southbound (April 16, Atlanta), featuring HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan, Clay cofounder Varun Anand, and NYT bestselling author Donald Miller. Brendan shares why the event is designed as a high-trust environment for revenue leaders building for durability.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Who Should Listen

• CROs and revenue leaders
• Founders facing sales and marketing misalignment
• RevOps professionals balancing systems and speed
• HubSpot operators scaling toward Elite
• GTM leaders attending Southbound 2026

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:25 Evolution of GTM
• 04:13 RevOps & AI
• 05:37 Profitability vs Growth
• 09:44 Early-Stage Metrics
• 11:07 Sales & Marketing Alignment
• 17:30 Brand & Differentiation
• 23:41 Tech Stack Strategy
• 30:22 System of Action
• 34:00 Southbound
• 37:39 AI Strategy

Andy Walsh

2x exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (Top 2% globally). Andy helps founders sharpen judgment and integrate brand, product, and growth into a clear path to scale.

Brendan Tolleson

Co-Founder and CEO of RevPartners, an Elite HubSpot Partner in Atlanta. Tolleson led RevPartners to become the fastest-tiering partner in HubSpot history and founded the Southbound conference, focused on predictable revenue growth and sustainable leadership.

Access All Areas.

• Subscribe: Substack
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com 

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2

The Studio https://28thandpark.podyx.com/

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code "Decoded" for 25% off your first booking.

Alisa Cohn has spent decades coaching CEOs through the moments that define their leadership: rapid growth, board pressure, and the quiet isolation of the role.

Named the #1 Startup Coach in the World by Thinkers50, Alisa has advised leaders at Venmo, Etsy, and Pfizer. In this episode, we explore why reactive management no longer works and how scaling CEOs must move from firefighting to proactive “North Star” planning as complexity increases.

This is a grounded, practical conversation about CEO craft, how to lead with intention when the stakes are high, and the answers aren’t obvious.

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In This Conversation, We Cover

• The Founder-to-Leader Shift: Moving from “doer” to organizational leader.
• North Star Planning: What it actually means for early-stage CEOs.
• The Reactive Trap: Breaking the cycle of constant crisis management.
• Executive Presence: Building influence and credibility as the company grows.
• Board Dynamics: Navigating power shifts and high-stakes relationships.
• Resilience: Why self-awareness is a core leadership skill, not a soft skill.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Startup Leadership
• 02:48 The Evolution of a CEO
• 08:54 The Journey from Founder to CEO
• 11:49 Delegation and the Pain of Growth
• 18:13 Building a Scalable Culture
• 24:03 The Importance of Storytelling
• 30:09 Empowering Employees and Fostering Innovation
• 36:00 Key Takeaways from ‘From Startup to Grownup.’

Alisa Cohn

Alisa is a globally recognized CEO coach and author of From Startup to Grownup. Based in New York, she advises founders and Fortune 500 executives at companies like IBM, Dell, and The New York Times. A frequent contributor to HBR and Forbes, Alisa is also an angel investor and former startup CFO.

Who Should Listen

• First-time CEOs and founders navigating leadership transitions.
• Leaders feeling stuck in reactive mode.
• Operators stepping into executive roles.
• Anyone serious about becoming a more intentional, effective CEO.

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Community & Events: Founders Circle
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

• “Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

The Studio 

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.

AI is moving fast, but durable businesses aren’t built on models alone. 

In this episode of Startups Decoded, Andy Walsh sits down with Frank Paz (Partner, Morrison Foerster) and Craig Alberino (Founder & CEO, LangSmart) to unpack what actually makes an AI company defensible and safe, as it scales.

Craig brings the operator’s perspective on turning AI experimentation into governed, measurable systems. Frank provides the legal lens, breaking down what is truly protectable and where founders quietly create structural risk around IP, data rights, and open-source models.

In This Conversation, We Cover:

• Beyond the Model: Why models alone don’t create durable moats.
• The "Vibe Coding" Trap: The IP nightmare of building on borrowed time or work resources.
• Governance at Scale: How operators manage cost, compliance, and reliability.
• IP Reality Check: What is actually protectable (code, data, trade secrets, and weights).
• Enterprise Ready: Structuring data-sharing partnerships and commercial agreements that pass the audit.

Chapters:

• 00:00 The Rise of AI in Business
• 05:42 LangSmart's Approach to AI Compliance
• 11:13 The Necessity of Strong Legal Counsel
• 16:58 Understanding Intellectual Property in AI
• 22:12 Enterprise Sales and Compliance Strategies
• 27:58 Preparing for Investment and Due Diligence

Guests:

• Frank Paz is a Partner at Morrison Foerster, advising founders through the full corporate lifecycle, from formation to acquisition.
• Craig Alberino is the Founder & CEO of LangSmart, creator of Smartflow, the AI control plane for enterprise visibility and governance.

Who Should Listen: 

• Founders, CTOs, and investors who want to build AI businesses that survive the scrutiny of a Series A data room.

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Community & Events: Founders Circle
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com 

Music Credit

• “Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)
• https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2

The Studio - 28th&Park 

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use "Decoded" for 25% off your first booking.

In this episode, Andy Walsh sits with Dr. Denise Bronner, a scientist-turned-strategist who has spent 15 years bridging the gap between the lab bench and the boardroom. As the founder of Empactful Ventures, Denise deconstructs the high-stakes reality of due diligence, transforming it from a “pop quiz” into a strategic mirror for operational maturity.

Subscribe now

The Conversation

Andy and Denise dive into the “hard edge” where complex science meets venture capital. They discuss why founders must stop hiding from their data and start using it to build a narrative that survives the scrutiny of Seed through Series A rounds. From the “Pac-Man effect” of 2026 market consolidation to the emotional toll of M&A “lock-ins,” this is a raw look at what happens when the lights come on in the data room.

Chapters

• 00:00 Lab to Leadership: The Scientist’s Journey
• 02:43 Bridging Science and Business
• 08:23 Data Storytelling: Science Meets Strategy
• 14:21 Understanding Your Investor Audience
• 17:10 The Reality of Due Diligence
• 22:48 Mergers & Acquisitions: Survival of the Transparent
• 28:23 The Founder’s Toll: Empathy in the Exit
• 40:10 The Pac-Man Effect: 2026 Market Trends

“Due diligence isn’t a pop quiz—it’s a mirror. If you organize your truth, pressure helps you; it doesn’t hurt you.” — Denise N. Bronner, Ph.D.

Who Should Listen:

Founders in regulated spaces (Healthtech/Biotech), Ops leads tasked with data rooms, and investors refining their DD checklists.

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Community & Events: Founders Circle
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X
• Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Xaver Lehmann built two AI startups, sold one for $60M, and paid the price most founders don’t talk about until it’s too late.

Burnout. Identity loss. The quiet crash after the win.

In this conversation, we unpack the part of the founder journey that usually gets skipped in pitch decks and podcasts. What actually happens after the exit. Why success can feel emptier than expected. And how building at full speed without designing your life first eventually catches up with you.

Xaver shares what he learned the hard way, how burnout reshaped his definition of success, and why he now helps founders build companies without sacrificing their health, relationships, or sense of self. We talk about honest trade-offs, conviction-driven decisions, coaching versus content, and why “more” is rarely the answer founders think it is.

This is a conversation for founders chasing big outcomes, and quietly wondering what it’s all costing them.

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Chapters

• 00:00 The Journey to Exit: Reflections on Success
• 01:40 From Investment Banking to Entrepreneurship
• 06:26 Finding Product-Market Fit: The Evolution of a Startup
• 12:18 Legitimizing the Business: Milestones and Growth
• 17:06 Navigating the Acquisition Process: The Road to Exit
• 23:08 The Emotional Toll of Exiting: Personal Struggles
• 32:17 Rebuilding After the Exit: Finding New Purpose
• 39:38 The Honest Founder: Sharing Experiences and Lessons

Xaver Lehmann

Xaver Lehmann is a 2x AI founder, angel investor, and the founder of Honest Founder. After building and selling an AI company for $60M, he experienced founder burnout firsthand, reshaping how he thinks about success, growth, and leadership.

Today, Xaver helps founders build and scale sustainably through coaching, writing, and digital frameworks rooted in lived experience rather than theory. He also invests in early-stage startups and funds with fast, conviction-led decisions.

Beyond startups, Xaver supports wildlife conservation in South Africa and early childhood education initiatives in Cape Town. He has been recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe and DACH.

Who Should Listen

• Founders chasing scale and big outcomes
• Operators navigating burnout or quiet doubt
• Post-exit founders asking “what now?”
• Anyone building ambitious companies without wanting to burn themselves down

Access All Areas.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Subscribe: Substack

Community & Events: Founders Circle

Connect: LinkedIn

Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X

Web: startupsdecoded.com

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Startups Decoded Studio​

Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code "Decoded" for 25% off your first booking.