The Founder Initiative

By Adam ODonnellBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology Investing

The Founder Initiative episodes

February 11 ($2.4B AUM) Amplify Partners Founder, Sunil Dhaliwal: Difference Between Investments & Passing, Startup Investing In 10 Years
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Sunil Dhaliwal, General Partner of Amplify Partners
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunildhaliwal/
39 min
February 04 Sequoia Led $75M Series B, Serval's Founder, Jake Stauch, Shares His Journey to PMF & Raising $127M
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Jake Stauch, Founder of Serval
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestauch/
47 min
January 29 (YC S25) Phases’s Founder, James Wall: IRL, Donuts & A Rental Car To Hit PMF?
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups James Wall, Founder of Phases.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-m-wall/
38 min
January 21 ($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups

FOUNDER PROFILE:
Scott Stevenson, Founder of Spellbook
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottas
42 min
January 14 ($70M+ Raised) Merge Founder, Gil Feig: Nailing Customer Discovery Interview To Hit PMF Faster
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:
Gil Feig, Founder of Merge
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilfeig/
31 min
January 08 ($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and 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.

FOUNDER PROFILE:
Rick Bente, Founder of Indomo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-bente/
30 min
December 17, 2025 (Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup
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: Jeremy Burton, Founder of Platform Venture Studio https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremymburton
32 min
December 16, 2025 (YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting 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: Tom Firth, Founder of Cotera https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdfirth/
41 min
December 09, 2025 Building A Unicorn: Chargebee's Co-Founder, Krish Subramanian & CMO, Guy Marion (formerly Brightback Founder, sold to Chargebee): hitting PMF, idea to 1st dollar & decision to exit
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:
Krish Subramanian, Founder - Chargebee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishs/
Guy Marion, CMO - Chargebee- https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymarion
41 min
December 04, 2025 Amazon Invested In Glacier; This Is Their Founder's Story, Rebecca Hu-Thrams
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:
Rebecca Hu, Founder of Glacier Robotics
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccabhu
35 min