The Founder Initiative

By Adam ODonnell

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events

(Formerly TheTop.VC)... more

5

2020 ratings

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FAQs about The Founder Initiative:

How many episodes does The Founder Initiative have?

The podcast currently has 187 episodes available.

The Founder Initiative episodes:

October 23, 2025 a16z Partner Interview, Seema Amble: 3 things she looks for in early-stage startups, how to get a meeting with her, & more
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:
Seema Amble, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seema-amble-b404126/
...more
33min
October 16, 2025 ($70M+ Raised) Future Family Founder, Claire Tomkins: Surprising Key To Fundraising, Journey To PMF
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER PROFILE:
Claire Tomkins, Founder of Future Family
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-tomkins-b122422/
...more
34min
October 14, 2025 ($55M Raised) Benchmark & Mayfield Invested; Sema4.ai's Founder, Ram Venkatesh: Getting Early Conviction, Hitting PMF & Raising $55M
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
VC PROFILE:
Ram Venkatesh, Founder of Sema4.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-venkatesh-34166/
...more
36min
October 09, 2025 a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Arvind Parthasarathi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindparthasarathi/

...more
31min
October 07, 2025 YC Founder & Thiel Fellow; Arist's Founder, Michael loffe: selling to enterprises, PMF, & articulating $100M to VCs
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:
Micahel loffe, Founder of Arist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaioffe/
...more
31min
October 01, 2025 $13B VC; Promod Haque, Former Managing Partner at Norwest; Learning From 35 Years of Investing
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

VC PROFILE:
Promod Haque
https://www.linkedin.com/in/promodhaque/

...more
49min
September 25, 2025 VCs Don't Know The Future; $55M Raised, Radical.ai's Founder, Joseph Krause Shares His Story
Get 1-year free of Auth0 (authentication and authorization platform)--> https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.

FOUNDER:
Joseph Krause
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfkrause/

...more
48min
September 23, 2025 [Pitch] ex Lightspeed VC & Founder of Meshly.ai: Mercedes Bent & Sandra Bustos Real VC Pitch
EPISODE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
What does a real pitch in Silicon Valley look like? This might be as close as you can get without being here yourself!
VC PROFILE
Mercedes Bent, ex Lightspeed Ventures, Partner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedesbent/
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Sandra Bustos, Founder of Meshly.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabustos/
🤔 VCs not responding to you?
I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations:
Submit here:
https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form
...more
41min
September 18, 2025 $30M Seed; Largest Seed In YC History? (YC S24) Wordware's, Founder, Robert Chandler, Journey To PMF & Getting Funded
In this episode, Robert, co-founder of Wordware, shares the story of turning a sauna brainstorm into one of the largest seed rounds in YC history. He walks us through the early pivots, the highs and lows of YC interviews, and how a viral Twitter Roast fueled their momentum. This is a raw look at conviction, timing, and how founders can compound small wins into historic outcomes.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Robert Chandler
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjhchandler/
🎙️ 7 Most Interesting Moments
The “sauna spark” in Warsaw that inspired the core idea for Wordware.
How getting denied by YC initially led to killing their first agent and pivoting.
Building the first prototype in just 3–4 days and knowing it felt different.
The conviction to ignore mixed feedback and double down on the small group of passionate users.
The chaotic YC interview process — failing twice before finally getting in on the third attempt.
The viral “Twitter Roast” stunt that reached 8M people and fueled their fundraising momentum.
Closing $30M in a single week, with Paul Graham advising them to speed-run the raise.
...more
49min
September 17, 2025 (YC W25) How To Nail Your YC (or any VC) Interview; Nitrode's Founder, Ben Kim
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Ben Kim, Nitrode's Co-Founder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-yoonsung-kim/
🎙️ 7 Most Interesting Moments
Michael Seibel’s brutally honest feedback in interviews—pushing them to scrap lines and “cut the crap.”
Pivoting right before their YC interview and getting challenged on whether their new idea could ever reach a billion-dollar outcome.
The week-long sprint to build a demo after Michael said, “I’ll see you Sunday.”
YC’s insight that gaming and QA are their worst-performing sectors, and why the team was pushed to pivot.
Paul Graham comparing their idea to the “YouTube of gaming.”
The bold vision: building an AI-powered game engine that lets anyone create games with infinite endings and new player experiences
🤔 VCs not responding to you?
I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations:
Submit here:
https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form
...more
36min

FAQs about The Founder Initiative:

How many episodes does The Founder Initiative have?

The podcast currently has 187 episodes available.

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