In this episode, I'm joined by Vyjayanthi Vadrevu, the founding ethnographer and strategist of Rasa.nyc. A fascinating guest who brings a unique perspective to tech startups: an applied anthropologist. Together, we explore the powerful intersection of anthropology and entrepreneurship, revealing how a deep understanding of human behavior can significantly impact product development and startup success.

We talk about:

👩‍🔬 Understanding the Role of Anthropology in Product Development

🔍 Why Startups Fail: The Importance of Early-Stage Research

🛠 Common Mistakes Founders Make During Customer Interviews

💡 The Power of Natural Observation in Finding Product-Market Fit

⚖️ Balancing Qualitative and Quantitative Data for Better Insights

🚀 Tools and Hacks for Accelerating the Research Process

🤖 Ethics in AI: How Startups Can Build with Integrity

📊 Designing Effective Research Methods for Startups

👥 Embedding Yourself in Your Customer's Environment

🎓 Workshops to Help Founders Think Like Anthropologists

This episode is packed with actionable insights for entrepreneurs who want to leverage anthropology to create products that resonate deeply with their target audience and build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

Important Links:

Workshops: https://www.rasa.nyc/workshop

Ferret combines the speed and affordability of an AI research platform with the depth of custom datasets from vetted experts.

https://beta.askferret.com/

In this episode, I sit with Sarah Touzani, Co-founder and CEO, of Waggle, an innovative AI-driven leadership coaching platform. Whether you're a startup founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of leadership development and the role of AI in shaping it.

We dive deep into:

🔥 How Waggle is Revolutionizing Leadership Coaching with AI

🚀 The Challenges of Scaling a Startup from 4 to 80 Employees

🛠 Best Practices for Organizational Design During Rapid Growth

⚖️ Balancing Internal Promotions with External Hiring

🤖 The Impact of AI on Organizational Structures and the Future of Work

🎯 Crucial Skills for Every Entrepreneur

In this episode, I speak with Zoë Chowney, the founder of Bacano. Zoë has an impressive background as a chartered accountant and a serial technology entrepreneur. We dive into her fascinating journey of building Bacano, a platform revolutionizing R&D tax claims for startups in the UK.

With Bacano, Zoë is helping startups save thousands on R&D tax claims, making the process faster, simpler, and more affordable.

We talk about her journey:

💼 From Chartered Accountant to Tech Entrepreneur

💰 Streamlining R&D Tax Claims and Saving Startups Money

🚀 Scaling Smartly with No Marketing Spend

🔄 Navigating Challenges in the Financial Services Industry

🌍 Expanding Bacano's Reach to New Markets

💬 Zoe’s Personal Journey and Business Philosophy

In this episode, I am speaking with Carter Fowler the CEO & co-founder of Totem, a tech startup creating a safer, and more immersive, experience for live events worldwide.

Carter comes from a long line of professional musicians. And in 2018, his writings were archived at the U.S Library of Congress in their American Music Journalism archives.

We talk about:

🎵 From Music to Entrepreneurship

The founder’s background in music and how it influenced his entrepreneurial journey, led to the creation of Totem.

💡 The Birth of Totem

How a frustrating festival experience led to the innovative concept of Totem, a friend-finding compass.

🌟 Building a Community

The importance of building a community and engaging with potential customers to refine the product and its pricing strategy.

🔄 Overcoming Early Challenges

Lessons learned from previous ventures and how they shaped the development and marketing strategy of Totem.

🚀 The Importance of Marketers in Product Design

Discusses how involving marketers from the beginning ensures the product is designed to sell itself and spreads quickly without a budget.

🎨 Emotional Connection

The significance of creating a product that is not only functional but also beautiful and emotionally resonant with users.

📈 Viral Success and Future Plans

The impact of a viral social media moment on Totem’s success and the plans for integrating the product with major events globally.

The following is a conversation with Stephen Blum, CTO of PubNub, a serial entrepreneur, and investor. Stephen has played a crucial role in scaling PubNub to support over a billion devices, sending trillions of JSON messages for multi-user experiences. In addition to his role at PubNub, Stephen invests in startups, focusing on API companies and AI.

In this episode, we talk about:

🚀 Navigating the Tech Startup Ecosystem

Stephen shares insights on scaling PubNub, tackling technical challenges, and the importance of having a market fit before raising funds.

🛠️ Building a Resilient Infrastructure

How PubNub's globally distributed messaging bus helps overcome scaling limitations and ensures high reliability and performance.

🤝 Investing in Startups

Discuss the criteria Stephen uses to evaluate startups, the importance of rapid MVP development, and market validation.

🔄 Overcoming Scaling Challenges

Learn about the evolution of roles within PubNub and the strategies for constructing successful and independent teams.

🌟 Leadership in Tech

Stephen's advice for non-tech founders, the importance of promoting your business effectively, and leveraging AI for operational efficiency.

And more!

The following is a conversation with Blake Beltram, a former actor turned founder, who built MindBody, a unicorn in the wellness space. Post a successful exit, he currently advises tech startups and is the co-founder of the Immortal Agency, creating MyAivatar – the digital, AI-powered version of "you" – giving family, co-workers, and future generations the ability to interact with you… across space and time.

In this episode, we talk about:

🚀 Navigating the Startup Ecosystem

Blake shares insights from transitioning from a creative role to leading a successful tech company, highlighting the challenges and learnings along the way.

🛠️ Building on Empathy

Why understanding your customer's perspective is crucial and how Blake's acting background helped him design user-centric software.

🤝 Co-Founders and Values

Discuss the importance of aligning values with your co-founders and the impact of personal relationships on business success.

🔄 Overcoming Challenges

Hear about Blake's journey through personal crises, company pivots, and the resilience needed to scale MindBody to a billion-dollar exit.

🌟 Visionary Leadership

How visionary leadership and customer empathy drove MindBody's product development and success.

The following is a conversation with Manoj Shinde, the CEO and co-founder of Orbo. Orbo delivers hyper-personalized beauty advice using GenAI and computer vision. And they were recently featured on Shark Tank India!

Manoj is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience and is on a mission to enhance customer experience, engagement, and loyalty in the beauty and lifestyle industry.

In this episode, we talk about:

📝 Introduction

Get to know Manoj Shinde and the vision behind Orbo.

📈 Growth in the Beauty Industry

Discussing the rapid growth in the beauty and skincare industry and its implications.

👥 Customer Centricity and Engagement

The importance of engaging with customers and enhancing their experiences.

🏬 Expanding to Offline Market

How Orbo is expanding their product offerings to offline markets.

💡 BeautyGPT Model Overview

An overview of Orbo's innovative BeautyGPT model and its capabilities.

🦈 Shark Tank Experience

Manoj shares his experience and insights from appearing on Shark Tank India.

🚀 Challenges of Starting a Research AI Startup in India

The unique challenges faced while starting a research AI startup in India.

💼 Early Sales Experience

Manoj's early entrepreneurial ventures and sales experiences.

📊 Three Tips for New Entrepreneurs

Essential advice for budding entrepreneurs from Manoj's extensive experience.

📈 Fundraising Pockets in India

Exploring the fundraising landscape in different regions of India.

And more!

The following is a conversation with Annsi Krol, the CEO of Ventla, a company dedicated to helping organizations streamline operations and accelerate various projects, from meetings and events to conference trips and company visits.

Annsi has over 25 years of experience in marketing and communications and is deeply committed to connecting people.

In this episode, we talk about:

📝 Introduction

Get to know Annsi Krol and the vision behind Ventla.

👥 Ventla's Human-First Approach

Discover how Ventla prioritizes people in their operations and services.

📈 Experience as an External CEO

Annsi shares her journey and insights from leading Ventla as an external CEO.

🦠 Events and Technology Post-COVID

Discussing the changes in event management and technology adaptation after the pandemic.

📊 Differentiating in a Crowded Market

Strategies and insights on standing out in a competitive industry.

🚀 Onboarding and Customer Support

The importance of onboarding and providing excellent customer support.

🎤 Importance of Understanding Events

Why a deep understanding of events is crucial for success in this industry.

👩‍💻 Involvement in Women in Tech Community

Annsi's contributions and experiences within the Women in Tech community.

🤝 Diversity and Networking

The role of diversity in networking and building strong professional relationships.

🔑 Key Takeaways from Recent Events

Valuable lessons and insights from attending and hosting recent events.

📢 Advice and Networking

Practical advice for professionals looking to enhance their networking skills.

And more!

The following is a conversation with Priyank Chodisetti, a former software engineer turned CEO, who is reshaping the way we use Generative AI.

He is the co-founder and CEO at Promptly, a no-code platform that lets users build and run GenerativeAI workflows in the cloud, utilizing popular models from OpenAI, Cohere, Stability, and more.

In this episode, we talk about:

🚀 Navigating the Startup Ecosystem

Priyank shares insights from transitioning from a technical role to leading a startup, highlighting the challenges and learnings along the way.

🛠️ Building on a Niche

Why giants like Google won't build your product and how Promptly carved out its niche in the competitive landscape of AI platforms.

🤖 Empowering Non-Tech Users

Discussing Promptly's mission to democratize AI by allowing non-technical users to easily create complex AI workflows.

🔄 Pivoting and Resilience

Hear about Promptly's strategic pivots and how resilience shaped the company's current success.

🔗 Strategic Partnerships and Growth

How strategic partnerships have been crucial in scaling Promptly's operations and expanding its market reach.

The following is a conversation with Maria Luke a national-level player turned founder who loves chasing Goals.

She is the co-founder and CEO at Uelzpay. They help companies adapt your pricing to any billing scenario in seconds. If billing is not your core, you should talk to Maria!

In this episode, we talk about.

🏋️‍♂️ From Athlete to Entrepreneur

Maria's journey from sports to entrepreneurship showcases the resilience and adaptability needed for success in startup ventures.

💡 Identifying Market Gaps

Uelz highlights the importance of recognizing market needs, as she identified gaps in wellness services.

🔄 Pivoting Amidst Challenges

Demonstrating the agility essential for navigating unforeseen obstacles.

🚀 Foundational Growth Strategies

Uelz's success lies in its strategic focus on leveraging partnerships and prioritizing market fit over rapid scaling

🛠️ Building Strong Foundations

Emphasis is on the significance of hiring technical expertise and maintaining investor relationships.