Startups Unpacked: Recent Episodes
Dan Hightower
The weekly podcast with fresh takes from venture-backed startup founders who are building great products.
Hey ya'll- I'm Dan Hightower, the host of Startups Unpacked, a podcast where I interview early-stage startup founders, diving into their path towards initial Product/Market Fit, and how they landed their first rounds of funding.
We started Startups Unpacked because getting a company started is HARD, and it's even harder for us, the misfits, who want help getting to product/market fit and finding investors, but find ourselves on the outside of the Silicon Valley clubhouse looking in.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur already trying to raise funds, or you’ve been sitting on an idea without direction on where to go next, this show is designed to introduce you to founders who are just one or two steps ahead of you- the ones who have recently been exactly where you are right now.
Our mission is to make starting companies more relatable and accessible, and in turn, way less mysterious and exclusive.
On each episode, we’ll sit down with a founder or investor who can share their story of building a product that customers can't live without, or explain how/here to find & close investors.
We will never interview: 1.) A unicorn "startup" 2.) A VC with an office on Sand Hill Road
In this episode, Dan sits down with Shawn Lestage, Director of Operations at Riipen, a project-based educational platform that immerses students in industry projects to help equip them with work-ready skills. The conversation includes how Riipen got started and the way they are helping to shape the marketplace.
In this episode, Dan is joined by Ireland Carter, Founder and CEO of Bricleir, a platform that helps businesses discover the best of startup innovation and helps to transform B2B e-commerce.
In this episode, Dan sits down with Founder & CEO of Catch.co Kristen Anderson.
Kristen is the Founder & CEO of Catch - a benefits platform for people who don't have employer-provided benefits, like gig workers, entrepreneurs, etc.
As she tells the story behind the startup, Kristen shares how she identified the opportunity behind the common misconception that technology alone made the 20th century a success- it was really benefits!
Kristen talks about starting at Catch as head of product, then actually moving into the Founder/CEO role later! Then, touches on what benefits mean in the age of multiple income streams, what it was like at YC, and how she ultimately raised $10M.
She offers valuable business and fundraising advice throughout the interview.
Product Market Misfits is a podcast that helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with venture-backed founders. For more, visit us at www.ProductMarketMisfits.com
In this episode, Dan sits down with Taylor Nieman, Co-Founder, and CEO of Toucan, to talk about the innovative startup and how the company is using a web plug-in to allow users to learn new languages.
In this episode, Dan Hightower sits down with Ross Richmond, COO and Co-Founder of Arrive Outdoors to talk about the exploding outdoor activities market. Arrive Outdoors looks to create a world where customers can experience the outdoors sustainably. They talk about the starting of the business, lessons in the early stages and where Arrive is headed in the future.
In this episode, Daniel sits down with the Founder and President of Levels, Josh Clemente. With Levels, Josh is attempting to bring blood-glucose monitoring into the mainstream as a consumer product. Driven by his own personal health journey, he is convinced that consistent and accurate blood-glucose feedback will produce more knowledgeable choices and dramatically impact the health and lifestyle of millions of people for the better. Others are likewise convinced as Josh has raised 4 million dollars in venture capital and also has a 40,000 customer waitlist.
While working at SpaceEx, Josh began to evaluate his work-life balance and the effect it was having on his physical health. His relentless pursuit of feedback led him to identify a product need and envision the company that would meet it. Listen as Josh shares his journey from life as a pre-diabetic to his now pre-magnate status as he prepares to launch Levels into the stratosphere of med-tech companies.
- Backstory: Amidst his work as a chemical engineer with SpaceEx, Josh began to evaluate his work-life-balance and the effect it was having on his body. (1:27)
- Josh talks glucose and metabolism and the science behind his Startup (3:06)
- Identifying the industry need: bringing the monitoring of blood glucose levels to the masses as a consumer product (6:00)
- Levels solves core problems that consumers aren’t even aware that they have: He explains how good fitness doesn’t always equate to good health (7:15) Josh explains how acutely personal feedback is crucial for understanding your own health. (10:21)
- Creating Demand: How Levels already has 40,000 customers on a waitlist before their public launch. (15:22)
- Industry Foresight: Anticipating continued advances in the personal med-tech industry, Josh plans for Level’s expansion and development. (23:22)
- The importance of customer experience: how Levels brings sophisticated technology to the customer through an easy and elegant application. (28:58)
- The brilliant “first principles” advice Josh gleaned from his time at SpaceEx (33:08)
- How the rookie fundraiser raised 4 million in venture capital (36:43)
- Josh shares an early mistake he made and the valuable lesson he learned through it (39:44)
- Dan asks Josh to share his secret weapons for success (41:23)
These are great insights from a great entrepreneur!
Product Market Misfits is a weekly podcast that helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with world-class venture-backed founders who are one or two steps ahead of you on the path to success. For more, visit us at www.ProductMarketMisfits.com
In this episode, Dan sits down with the founder and CEO of Trust & Will, Cody Barbo. Trust & Will is a series A stage company that currently serves over 150,000 families in one of the most essential and yet underserved markets. Trust & Will helps individuals and families by making estate planning simple, accessible, and affordable.
From being elected Student Body President at San Diego State University to impressing Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban at a pitch event, Cody has made the most of unique opportunities to develop and showcase his entrepreneurial skills. He’s put those skills to good use in founding an already successful estate planning fintech that has taken on industry incumbents and is set to explode. Join us as we trace Cody’s journey and learn how he saw the vision, secured investors, and successfully launched Trust & Will.
- Cody shares how his unique leadership opportunities as a college student at San Diego State University helped shape his entrepreneurial drive and skills (2:00)
- Finding his “Niche”: Cody shares the valuable business lessons he learned with his first tech startup (4:50)
- Making the Pitch. Cody talks about how he developed his ability to make great pitches and how he met Mark Cuban, made connections with future partners, and even made good startup money doing it! (8:00)
- Cody offers a great piece of advice on the importance of valuing connections with people and making tools like business cards and LinkedIn work for you (12:45)
- Here’s a Pro tip on fundraising from a guy who’s raised 8 million in capital (17:33)
- Cody shares how he found the business vision he was willing to risk it all for? (18:38)
- Dan and Cody talk about the intimate subject of estate planning and the brilliance of Trust & Will that makes this essential service simple and accessible. (23:28)
- Dan asks Cody how he was able to convince investors and customers that his company would handily outperform household names in this industry. (26:43)
- How Trust & Will prioritized customer experience while working to find and establish price points. (33:09)
- Dan asks Cody to share his secret weapons for success (38:33)
These are great insights from a great entrepreneur. Thanks for sharing with us, Cody!
Product Market Misfits is a weekly podcast that helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with world-class venture-backed founders who are one or two steps ahead of you on the path to success. For more, visit us at www.ProductMarketMisfits.com
In this episode, Daniel sits down with the founder of Visible, Mike Preuss. Visible is a cutting edge platform that helps founders raise capital, update investors, and engage their team from one single platform. Mike shares the unique way in which Visible was founded and how it’s product aims at what he calls the “cheat code” of fundraising strategies.
Through a wide variety of business and collaborative experiences, Mike has developed a wealth of wisdom in what it takes for founders to successfully attract and keep investors. The wisdom that he shares with us also transcends fundraising to touch vital elements of any business such as team culture, collaboration, and shared vision. Let’s dive in!
- Trust your gut, and do it faster! (2:16)
- Mike shares the interesting backstory of Visible and how it developed to become the success that it is today (3:51)
- Visible’s brilliance in the world of venture fundraising (15:22)
- Mike shares the “cheat code” of fundraising strategy (17:45)
- Mike talks about affirming that Investor Updates was product-market fit (20:46)
- How Visible is also helping VC’s to update their LP’s (23:23)
- How Mike and Visible discerned their product value and pricing (26:39)
- Striking the balance of investing in future growth without compromising current stability (29:16)
- Drinking his own Koolaid! How Mike uses his product at Visible to keep his remote team aligned (35:25)
- Dan asks Mike to share his secret weapons for success (41:21)
So much insight. Thanks for sharing with us, Mike!
Product Market Misfits is a weekly podcast that helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with world-class venture-backed founders who are one or two steps ahead of you on the path to success. For more, visit us at www.ProductMarketMisfits.com
In this episode, Daniel sits down with a brilliant young tech founder, Shannon Goggin. Shannon is the co-founder and CEO of Noyo - an API platform company that builds modern infrastructure for modern healthcare systems to make them more efficient, affordable, and transparent. As she tells the story behind the startup, Shannon shares how she identified the industry need that drove her company’s vision. Highlighting the virtues of clear communication and relational networking, she offers winsome and valuable business and fundraising advice throughout the interview.
- Shannon’s backstory and early professional learning experiences (2:03)
- A Startup is envisioned: Shannon shares how she identified an industry need and envisioned the startup to meet it. (3:55)
- A Startup is born: Taking the leap of faith to launch Noyo. (7:44)
- Investors and Fundraising: Shannon wisely speaks to the importance of relationships in the fundraising process. (10:37)
- Building and developing the right team is crucial for any startup. Shannon shares practical team building advice and discusses the unique challenges of developing camaraderie in a remote work environment. (15:20)
- Appearing bigger than you are: Creative ideas for a startup to present a legitimate presence and sell their product to a fortune 500 type company. (21:37)
- Being a Female tech founder in a male-dominated business community (26:50)
- Secret weapons for Shannon’s success (28:42)
What a helpful conversation! Thanks for sharing your time and insight with us, Shannon.
Product Market Misfits is a weekly podcast that helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with world-class venture-backed founders who are one or two steps ahead of you on the path to success. For more, visit us at www.ProductMarketMisfits.com
Are you ready to turn that idea into a business? Perhaps you’re looking to make the right connections or meet the right investors to turn your startup into a standout. Maybe your startup is at a stalemate. Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey, you know that starting a company is hard, and it's even harder for us, the misfits, who want help getting to product/market fit and finding investors, but find ourselves on the outside of the Silicon Valley clubhouse looking in. Product Market Misfits helps entrepreneurs learn more about starting companies and getting funded by sharing conversations with world-class venture-backed founders who are one or two steps ahead of you on the path to success.
In each episode, we'll sit down with a founder or an investor who has been exactly where you are right now. You’ll have an opportunity to hear their story of building a great product that customers love and offer practical advice on early-stage fundraising.
You won’t want to miss an episode as each will provide the kind of information and inspiration that every entrepreneur needs. So head on over to www.ProductMarketMisfits.com and subscribe today!