This week, The Startup Studios Podcast welcomes Eric Sophir!

Eric is a Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP where he focuses on Intellectual Property protections for startup ideas through Fortune 50 clients. Want to know what to expect from a large law firm vs a smaller one? How about when you should speak to a lawyer - at the beginning of your startup or later after traction? Eric shares a master class for founders who may be wondering how to protect their startup’s IP. This episode ended up veering a little differently than our usual conversations because of how helpful Eric is!

Key points discussed in this episode are:

Thank you Eric for sharing your story with us!

Watch or listen wherever you prefer at www.startupstudios.co/podcast/ep-15-eric-sophir

Every other Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raja and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building startups in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

Need help with something? Contact us! We're here to help.

www.startupstudios.co

This week, Raj and Saif interview Lior Klisman.

Raised in Israel, Lior's early life was shaped by his parents' government security work, which instilled in him an interest in technology and security. He later traveled extensively, including a transformative trip to India, and worked in various countries before landing in the US. His entrepreneurial journey involved overcoming numerous challenges, and he emphasizes the importance of perseverance, networking, and mentorship in business. Lior's story is one of resilience and the pursuit of personal and professional growth through diverse experiences and a willingness to learn and adapt. Hear him talk through the lessons he learned through his first acquisition, and how he uses those lessons to invest in immigrant Founders today.

Thank you Lior for sharing your story with us! Watch or listen wherever you prefer at www.startupstudios.co/podcast/ep-13-lior-klisman

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

Brought to you by Pangea.app - Access high quality talent to grow your startup with industry-leading professionals. Discover the perfect fit & hire with confidence! For startups - Use the link https://www.about.pangea.app/r/startup-studio to save $250 off your annual subscription to hire as many people as you need. If you’re looking to work at a startup, create your talent profile for free at https://pangea.app/createAccount

We're here to help!

www.startupstudios.co

This week, Raj and Saif interview Kalsoom Lakhani.

Kalsoom shares her journey and insights as a trailblazing entrepreneur and co-founder/General Partner of i2i Ventures, Pakistan's first female-founded VC fund. Established in 2019, i2i Ventures empowers young entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of their ventures. Raised in a business-oriented family, Kalsoom embraced innovation and entrepreneurship, carving her own path and inspiring her siblings to do the same. Through i2i Ventures, she unlocks Pakistan's potential, investing in groundbreaking startups and nurturing the next generation of innovators. Her dedication extends to social impact, with involvement in the Atlantic Council and the American Pakistan Foundation. Recognized as a global tech changemaker, Kalsoom inspires with her belief in small wins and commitment to positive change.

Thank you Kalsoom for sharing your story with us! Watch or listen wherever you prefer at www.startupstudios.co/podcast/ep-12-kalsoom-lakhani

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

Brought to you by Pangea.app - Access high quality talent to grow your startup with industry-leading professionals. Discover the perfect fit & hire with confidence. Use the link https://www.about.pangea.app/r/startup-studio to save $250 off your annual subscription. If you’re looking to work at a startup, sign up for free at https://pangea.app/createAccount

We're here to help!

www.startupstudios.co

This week, Raj and Saif interview Nicholas Ayala!!

Nick shares his journey and insights as a college student exploring various ventures, to co-founding his first startup QMi, to building operations at early-stage startups like Clubhouse, Legion Technologies, and Fair Square Medicine. Nicholas talks about the challenges faced by first-generation entrepreneurs and emphasizes the significance of small wins in motivating a team. His experiences offer valuable insights into the early days of startups and the lessons learned along the way.

Thank you Nicholas  for sharing your story with us! Watch or listen wherever you prefer at www.startupstudios.co/podcast/ep-11-nicholas-ayala

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raja and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.startupstudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Donna Loughlin Michaels.

Donna was once known as the "She-Devil of Silicon Valley" for being a PR juggernaut for some of the areas best tech companies. An award-winning storyteller, PR influencer, and podcast host, Donna works with visionaries changing how we live in the future with her firm LMGPR. Hear Donna share her story from starting out in the family business, traveling the world as a journalist, to working with renowned tech companies and startups before they made it big. In her own words, she has "proven experience in consumer and business to business and dozens of markets including automotive/transportation/mobility/aviation, and transportation, AI, augmented reality, agriculture tech and sustainability, consumer electronics, compliance, cyber security, food and beverage, B2B infrastructure, IoT, robotics, lifestyle, wellness and more. Pretty much anything in your home, pocket or office!"

Thank you Donna for sharing your story with us!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Roger Royse.

Roger is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Haynes and Boone, LLP where he works with companies ranging from newly formed tech startups to publicly traded multinationals in the areas of corporate and securities law, domestic and international tax, mergers and acquisitions, and fund formation. Roger is also the founder of the Silicon Valley Agtech Conference and a nationally recognized authority on agricultural technology.

Roger's commitment to fostering startup success is well-known in Silicon Valley. When he isn't working in the trenches with his clients from zero to IPO, you'll find Roger at your favorite incubators, accelerators, and early-stage startup programs providing founders crucial advice against common legal pitfalls. He's the author of two must-read books for every entrepreneur: "Dead on Arrival: How to Avoid the Legal Mistakes That Could Kill Your Startup" and "10,000 Startups: Legal Strategies for Startup Success."

Thank you Roger for sharing your story with us!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Ravi Kurani.

Ravi is the founder & CEO of Sutro, a smart pool water monitoring system out to, in his own words, "solve water!" Recognized by Forbes "30u30" in the energy category in 2017, Ravi shares the story about his upbringing, working in the family business, to supporting socially concious startups and entrepreneurs via Social Capital. A must listen for early-stage founders and investors about taking calculated risks on people and ideas.

Thank you Ravi for sharing your story!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Sasha Eslami.

Sasha is the co-founder & CEO of Eversnap, a group photo-sharing app once known as Weddingsnap, which was acquired in 2020 and part of the 500 Startups portfolio. Join us as Sasha shares his upbringing in Iran and Alabama before attending Georgia Tech and jumping into entrepreneurship. A must listen for early-stage founders about finding resources, being persistent, and constantly growing!

Thank you Sasha for sharing your story!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Ali Mahrouyan.

Ali is a veteran in the Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach ecosystems where he's had a front-row seat to incubators, accelerators, angels, and early-stage VCs. Ali details his 20-year experience as the Executive Director and Chief of Staff for a well-known family office that has been an early investor in some of the world's best startups and coworking spaces. As someone who's seen the good, bad, and ugly side of mismatched partnerships between founders and investors, Ali shares tips for aspiring founders, angel investors, and VC limited partners to protect themselves from predatory practices without sacrificing future upside.

Our longest episode so far, this is going to be a must-watch segment for aspiring founders, angel investors, and future VC LPs!

Thank you Ali for sharing your story!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co

Welcome to the StartupStudios.co Podcast, featuring people who build startups!

This week, Raj and Saif interview Timothy Lipton.

Timothy is a financial advisor with more than 15 years of success advising early-stage startups from their napkin stage to series-B. Often founders at this early stage will delay finance and accounting compliance to a later stage when they can afford to hire a larger firm. At Momentum Finance, TL works with teams to stay compliant, get a better snapshot of their business's health, receive fractional CFO / back-office support, and prove to later-stage investors that the team is ready for the big leagues. Previously based in Silicon Valley, Timothy is now based in Utah and actively engaged in the Salt Lake City startup ecosystem.

Thank you Tim for sharing your story!

Every Tuesday at 10am, your co-hosts Raj and Saif publish a new episode featuring unique founders, advisors, investors, specialists, fractional executives, and ecosystem resources who work with early-stage companies every day. We highlight the person, their background, failures, and successes while building companies in an unfiltered space.

Our intention is to showcase their experience & problem-solving skills for Founders and their core teams. Many of them are part of your favorite entrepreneurship communities and can accelerate your growth.

StartupStudios also organizes free and paid resources, credits, programs, and office-hours for early-stage Founders. Like a concierge for your startup, we'll understand your needs before matching you within our community. Use office hours for personalized support or visit the directory to contact people on your own.

We're here to help!

www.StartupStudios.co