DiscoverLife on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased
Life on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased
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Life on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased

Author: MarsBased

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Welcome to Life on Mars! A podcast about technology, entrepreneurship and innovation from MarsBased. You will listen to stories of the best founders, investors, experts and celebrities from all around the galaxy every two weeks.
84 Episodes
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Join Àlex, CEO of MarsBased, as he tells the story behind starting both MarsBased and the Barcelona chapter of Startup Grind in 2014. Prepared for a rambling of 45 minutes?This episode covers running both the chapter and MarsBased, reasons to keep it up, impact generated over ten years, metrics of Startup Grind Barcelona, highs and lows, and the reasons why we're quitting after 153 events and three international conferences.We also give some hints as to what's next for Àlex and our involvemen...
Curious about the challenges of transitioning from a corporate environment in China to the bustling startup scene in Barcelona? How has she created an AI company and is bootstrapping her way up? How is their marketing strategy? How do you build domain authority for your startup? Join us as Tania Van Gastel, CEO and co-founder of The Multiverse AI, shares her unique journey. Her insights shed light on building a product-driven company amidst the AI frenzy, the significance of transparency, and...
Unlock the secrets of navigating the turbulent waters of venture capital with our latest episode featuring the ever-insightful Mercè Tell, (GP & co-founder of Encomenda Capital Partners). This is a recording of one of our latest Startup Grind BCN events, recorded in early 2024.Ever wondered how down rounds, declining M&A transactions, and slumping tech stock valuations are reshaping the investment landscape? Mercè sheds light on these pressing issues, providing a straightforward and t...
Ever wondered how to protect yourself from online scams while keeping advertisers honest? This episode is a must-listen as we welcome Nandini Jammi from Check My Ads, back on the podcast, after almost four years since her first appearance. Check My Ads is the pioneering agency fighting against fraudulent advertisers, right-wing disinformation and tackling online scams. We promise you'll walk away with a deep understanding of how business ethics and company values can shape the future of ...
The podcast is back after a much needed (albeit unintended) hiatus. For more details, listen to this episode (in Spanish) or wait until an AI translates it for you.Until then, listen to a few of the episodes that we had recorded prior to the break, which are still of high relevance, the first of which features our friend Brian Farrell, co-founder of Farco Studio.What if the secret to thriving in the design market lies in balancing American ambition with Spanish work-life harmony? Join us as w...
Celebrating a decade of bootstrapping brilliance, I, Àlex, founder of MarsBased, am back behind the mic to share an emotional tribute to the journey we've shared. As we revel in a significant milestone, I'm incredibly grateful for the unwavering support from our clients, friends, and the wider community. The anniversary bash in Barcelona was an unforgettable affair, filled with poignant moments that underscored the collective effort that's helped us thrive in an industry that's often obsessed...
Explore the power of AI in streamlining content creation and productivity in our latest podcast episode. We're joined by Clemens Rychlik from Bourbon, where he serves as COO, and the man behind the Barcinno newsletter, diving into how AI, including ChatGPT, is reshaping tasks like proofreading and SEO optimization. Clemens shares his insights on using AI for authoritative content, while we discuss balancing client projects with our own. This episode is a must-listen for anyone using AI tools ...
Prepare to navigate the high-stakes world of mergers and acquisitions with insider expertise as Dimitri Steinberg and Brian Flynn from Founder Partners join me, Àlex from MarsBased, for a riveting discussion. In the ever-turbulent market of dwindling venture capital and faltering tech stocks, our guests share invaluable wisdom from their impressive careers on how to steer a company towards a lucrative sale or merger. We'll be revealing the art of reading between the lines during negotiations,...
Embark on an entrepreneurial odyssey with Keyven Ferland of La Web Shop and uncover the raw and real narrative of a bootstrapped business's ascent. From the humble beginnings of a solo design freelancer to captaining a burgeoning Canadian Shopify and e-commerce development shop, Kevan doesn't hold back on the experiences that shaped his agency's success. Throughout our vivid conversation, we traverse the landscape of early client acquisition, the embrace of simplicity through a strategic pivo...
What can you achieve as an entrepreneur without leaning on venture capitalist funding? How can we communicate more effectively in the modern work landscape? Today's episode is a deep dive into the riveting world of bootstrapped businesses, communication, and entrepreneurship with our esteemed guest, Amir Salihefendic, the CEO and founder of Doist.Amir breaks down his journey as a solo founder and unveils the secrets behind thriving in a competitive market without VC funding. He unveils the ro...
Brace yourselves for a riveting dialogue with Francesc Font Cot, the dynamic serial entrepreneur who co-founded Incapto Coffee, Nubelo, and Bandit. We uncover the raw truth behind the glitz and glamour of startup life and explore the harsh reality that only two out of 10 startups survive. Francesc, with his decades of experience, offers a rare perspective on the elusive success of serial entrepreneurship.We explore the metamorphosis of business models, emphasizing the criticality of revenue, ...
With our special guest, Khash Sajadi, the founder and CEO of Cloud 66, we're unlocking the story of a technology that transformed the world of software deployment. Imagine a world where developers are freed from the drudgery of repetitive tasks. Cloud 66 began as a solution to that exact problem, and Khash takes us on a journey from the early days of the company, through the evolution of its technology stack, to its present success.We embrace the nitty-gritty details of technology, discussing...
Ever wondered how a tech company rides the tumultuous waves of an industry in flux? Journey with us, as Àlex, founder of MarsBased, shares his company's evolution in managing a surge from one to two contracts a year to a whopping 10 short-term contracts. Get an inside look at the challenges, triumphs, and the newfound dynamism this pivot has injected into the company operations.Unsure about the effects of the pandemic on tech prices? Listen up as we dig deep into the wider industry impact, di...
In this episode, our good friend in and out of business, Josh Feldberg, interviews Àlex to discuss many topics for a good hour and a half.Two friends discussing business, where the podcast host, Àlex, becomes the interviewee in a long, free-flowing and casual conversation across all topics, ranging from usage of social media and discussing politics there, to considering selling the business, passing through having side projects like a punk rock band and doing angel investing, and much more.Jo...
The story of MarsBased can't be told without a city in particular: San Francisco.Even though MarsBased started up in Barcelona, where the three co-founders are from and where most of the events pre-incorporation happened, San Francisco played a pivotal role.In late 2013, Àlex quit his corporate job and left for a three month trip to SF to soak up as much technology, innovation and entrepreneurship as possible, and that's also where, among other things, Àlex found the first client for the comp...
We hosted Job van der Voort, CEO @ Remote, to discuss the status of remote work (obviously) but also derivates of this: employee benefits, async work, leadership, our day-to-day as CEOs of tech companies, services vs product and more.Prior to founding Remote, Job served as the VP of Product at Gitlab, one of our reference companies when it comes to remote work, and now he's scaled his own venture to over 1000 employees worldwide to lead by example. Remote allows you to manage your HR needs fo...
We have talked a lot about no-code back in the day, and far from being the technology that would render developers obsolete and take our jobs, it's become somewhat of a complement for quick experiments and lightweight MVPs.Now, in light of the recent happenings with AI, we're sort of seeing the same narrative around AI replacing developers and taking our jobs and eventually destroying life on Earth as we know it... but is it real this time?We discuss AI and no-code with Toby Oliver, CEO at Br...
One of the downsides of running an agency, or a services-based company per se, is that you don't get media coverage. Only the biggest ones get some coverage but for us, small agencies, it's nearly impossible: we don't do B2C, we don't have products consumed by large chunks of population, most of our work is behind NDAs and also we don't raise funds.The reality is that agencies are largely profitable and enjoyable businesses to run, even more so if you focus on value not on scale. Hence, we in...
A couple of weeks ago, shit hit the fan. A bank run on Silicon Valley Bank had to be intervened because hundreds of companies pulled their funds out of this popular bank.The US 16th largest bank, very popular among tech companies and startups, had to be sold because it became insolvent due to a series of bad decisions and their accumulated derivates.We bring in our good friend Victor Horcasitas, CEO at Metropolitan Magazine and President of the American Society of Barcelona, to discuss the ha...
We're excited to share this episode with you in which we talk to Kat O'Brien (Chief Partnerships Officer at ClimateTrade) about all things partnerships.Kat has been operating in the partnerships and marketing sector of both startups and corporates in the last years - as a matter of fact, we met when she was CMO at Polaroo, a former client of MarsBased - and, to be honest, we have never discussed this topic on this podcast.We've had our share of failed partnerships over the years because, quit...
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