Found

In this episode, Dom and Becca dive into the future of trucking with Raquel Urtasun, CEO and co-founder of Waabi, a company pioneering driverless, long-haul trucks powered by generative AI. They talked about Waabi's unique simulation-based training approach, its vision for autonomous technology, and how it could redefine the trucking industry and workforce.     Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

This week we’re taking you backstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Becca Szkutak had the chance to talk with Dan Lorenc, the CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity startup Chainguard following their conversation on stage with prominent investors, The Chainsmokers. They discuss how the EDM duo's venture fund MANTIS went from being viewed skeptically by traditional VCs to becoming a highly sought-after investment partner in the B2B space, how Lorenc scaled the company in a difficult time for cybersecurity, and what value celebrity investors can add to a startup. Check out the full onstage conversation here. 00:00 - Introduction 02:27 - Chainguard: Company Overview and Open Source Security  05:27 - Google Background and Solar Winds Impact  08:02 - Building Chain Guard: Product Evolution  11:44 - Early Fundraising and Timing  12:53 - The Legendary Alex Pall Cold Emails  15:01 - MANTIS Investment Impact  16:11 - Company Growth and Future Plans  16:51 - Learning from Early Mistakes Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Recorded live from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Found co-hosts Becca Szkutak and Dominic Davis sit down with Kai Kloepfer, CEO of Biofire, a smart gun company that aims to prevent firearm misuse. Kloepfer gets into the hurdles of building a hardware startup in the firearm industry from fundraising to building a reliable product. Please note this conversation deals with topics around gun violence and suicide.  Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Howie Liu, the CEO and co-founder of Airtable to talk about how the Airtable team used smart UX to make app development accessible to even the least technical users. They also discuss how human-computer interaction is at the core of Airtable’s mission and behind each new product they put out. And they get into early missteps, the investor advice that Liu didn’t follow, and the unlikely inspiration behind Airtable’s design. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

This week on Found Dom and Becca talk with  Josh Reeves, co-founder and CEO of Gusto. He shares how the company is transforming small business operations. We explore the complexities of payroll, benefits, and compliance, and how Gusto is helping entrepreneurs navigate these challenges. They also discuss hoe Gusto has managed to stand out in a competitive industry and the important of being excited by the problem you're solving as an entrepreneur.  Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

In this week's episode of Found, KiwiCo’s Sandra Lin talks about building a STEM-focused toy business. She explains the importance of inspiring creativity in kids, the company’s massive growth to 50 million crates delivered, and how she sought out feedback from parents and kids alike. They also discuss how the company recently expanded from and online-only DTC to selling in brick and mortar stores.  00:00 - Introduction 01:24 - The Story Behind KiwiCo: From Idea to Business04:53 - Turning an Idea into a Marketable Product06:32 - Testing and Feedback Beyond the Bay Area10:00 - Early Marketing Strategies and Organic Growth15:50 - Expanding into Retail and New Channels16:06 - The Product Development Process at KiwiCo21:27 - Fundraising and Navigating the Venture Capital Path25:51 - Balancing Entrepreneurship with Family Life31:01 - Early Challenges and Lessons Learned35:08 - What’s Next for KiwiCo Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Most used car dealers in the U.K. get their stock from auctions, and one startup is moving the process online to make it easier for both car owners and car dealers. This week, Becca and special co-host Kirsten are talking with Harry Jones, the co-founder of Motorway, a U.K. startup helping professional car dealers to bid in an auction for privately owned cars for sale. Motorway has seen rapid success, with a car sold every three minutes and a GMV of £2.2 billion last year. In this episode, Becca, Kirsten and Harry chat about the importance of focusing on a core market and how he and his co-founders built a strong and lasting partnership. 00:00 - Introduction and overview of Motorway 03:03 - Early days and initial ideas for Motorway 05:50 - Pivot to its current model 08:08 - Working with dealerships 10:18 - U.S. vs U.K. and market focus 15:05 - Initial traction, challenges and demand from dealers 25:39 - The co-founding team and their long-term collaboration 30:31 - Lessons learned from previous companies  36:04 - Motoway's future Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week. Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

This week on Found, Dom and Becca talk with Haitham Eletrabi, the creator of Tennibot. They discuss his journey from civil engineering to inventing a device that he calls the "roomba for tennis". Tennibot not only picks up tennis balls autonomously but also saves players and coaches time, allowing them to focus on improving their game. Join us as we explore how this innovative product is transforming the tennis world, from its humble beginnings to becoming a game-changer in sports tech. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Finding order in chaotic datasets is key for companies to be able to implement AI solutions that actually work. This week’s guest is Prukalpa Sanka, the co-CEO and co-founder of Atlan, a platform designed to help data teams build trust, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively. Atlan emerged from the challenges of managing complex data projects and is now empowering organizations to scale their data operations while maintaining transparency and trust. In this episode they discuss how Atlan has maintained a fun company culture despite the stress and how her and her co-founder have maintained a great working relationship for the past 12 years.  00:00 - Introduction 02:31 - Founding story and early challenges 06:19 - Overcoming high-stakes data issues 08:45 - The evolution of data and AI 13:31 - Building a product to solve key problems 16:13 - Adapting to technological change 19:21 - The growing role of AI in business 21:05 - Preparing data for AI integration 24:27 - Addressing bias and ethics in AI 26:52 - Fundraising and fun marketing 31:34 - Maintaining a strong co-founder relationship 33:47 - Final thoughts and reflections Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Research is completely lacking when it comes to information about women’s hormonal health. Today’s guest is working to compile data and help women find the care they need. This week on Found, we’re talking to Sylvia Kang, the CEO and co-founder of Mira, a women’s health company that is providing home hormonal testing. They discuss the challenges on fundraising for women’s health startups, the importance of research to drive change and access in healthcare, and how Mira forged a new path by becoming FDA approved. 00:00 - Introduction and Overview of Women’s Hormonal Health01:45 - The Lack of Hormonal Health Data and Fertility Challenges05:11 - The Inspiration Behind Starting Mira07:30 - Early Feedback from Doctors and Investors10:58 - The Evolution of the Women’s Health Market13:25 - Overcoming the Lack of Scientific Research and Data Collection16:51 - Impact of COVID-19 on Mira’s Growth18:42 - Mira as a Cost-Effective Solution to Fertility Issues21:29 - Mira’s Expansion Beyond Fertility and into IVF25:02 - Utilizing AI to Personalize Hormonal Health Tracking28:35 - Sylvia’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship32:15 - Building a Female-Driven Company Culture at Mira34:49 - The Future of Women’s Health and Expanding Mira’s Impact Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Microplastics are everywhere: In our water, cleaning supplies, and in so many of our everyday household essentials. This week’s guest, Sarah Paiji Yoo, started Blueland to  help us cut out microplastics and reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use, once and for all. Blueland creates eco-friendly and plastic free cleaning supplies. This week, Dom is joined by Tim De Chant to talk with Sarah about all the challenges of developing sustainable and safe cleaning supplies from formulation to creating a retail strategy and the role of corporate advocacy in driving environmental change. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

It’s not every week that Becca and Dom get to talk to a founder who has been building companies for the past 22 years. This week on Found, we’re joined by Eric Ly, co-founder of LinkedIn and the current co-founder and CEO of KarmaCheck  startup that is making the background check process quicker and more transparent. Ly discusses his vision for streamlining background checks, the challenges of building multiple companies, and how his entrepreneurial mindset has evolved since the early days of the internet. You’ll learn about the future of online trust and the potential impact of blockchain technology on identity verification. 00:00 - Introduction and Two Truths and a Lie  02:00 - Introducing Karma Check: Background Checks Reimagined  05:00 - The Evolution of Background Checks  08:00 - Automating and Streamlining the Process  12:00 - Demand for Faster Background Checks in the Job Market  15:00 - Eric Ly's Entrepreneurial Journey  18:00 - The Changing Landscape of Venture Capital  21:00 - Leadership Evolution and Building Company Culture  23:00 - Entrepreneurial Mishaps and Lessons Learned  27:00 - Growing Up in Silicon Valley 29:00 - Navigating Market Cycles and Hype  31:00 - Future Possibilities: Blockchain and Digital Identity  33:00 - Conclusion and Wrap-up Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

In this episode of Found, Becca and Dom sit down with Gavin Uberti, co-founder and CEO of Etched, an AI chip startup focusing on developing specialized chips. Gavin shares the bold bet his startup is making on transformer models for AI chips, aiming to take on industry giant Nvidia. They discuss how Etched is developing specialized chips that they claim will be an order of magnitude faster than competitors, and Uberti shares his insights on the future of AI hardware as models continue to rapidly scale up in size and capability. [00:00] Introduction to Etched and AI chips  [03:46] The bet on transformer models [05:08] Competition with Nvidia  07:45] Environmental impact of chip manufacturing [10:13] Etched's chip development progress [12:35] Customer demand and strategic investors [14:06] Fundraising journey [15:23] Dropping out of Harvard [21:25] Building the company and hiring [24:01] Leadership philosophy [31:05] Future outlook for Etched and AI  [32:31] Wrap-up and reveal of the "two truths and a lie" Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

HR software is big, big business. And no one understands that better than this week’s guest, Parker Conrad the CEO and co-founder of Rippling, a global HR company that offers global payroll, onboarding, time tracking, benefits management and more. In this episode he talks about what goes into building a leading HR tech company—from what it’s like building out features companies love, to dealing with fierce competition in this ever growing landscape. Conrad also gets into the power imbalance that can arise between VCs and founders and the drama at his previous company that inspired him to build Rippling.   (0:00) Introduction (2:48) Parker’s previous startups (6:09) Leaving Zenefits and starting Rippling (9:08) Horizontal integration in HR software (11:57) AI skepticism for software (20:58) Managing the competition (26:34) Growth marketing strategy (29:36) What a founder should focus on (35:02) VC-founder power imbalance (40:23) Host discussion Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

There is a whole marketplace for used tech, it isn’t just a good deal for the customer, but it also helps curb waste that can lead to soil contamination, non-pot able water, and dangerous living conditions.  On this week’s episode of Found, we’re talking to Thibaud Hug de Larauze from BackMarket, a global marketplace for refurbished devices. In this conversation they cover: How BackMarket has such a successful fundraise. Building customer trust as a refurbished marketplace The environmental impact of recycling electronics The Right to Repair and what will happen when everyone can fix their own phone if they choose. Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each   Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com