Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors

Most founders know they need marketing to build their business—but few know where to start.In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate sits down with Jacqueline Basulto, Founder & CEO of SeedX, a full-service digital marketing agency helping startups scale with clarity and strategy.Jacqueline shares her path to launching SeedX, and how she’s grown the company to a 65-person team supporting clients across industries. Together, they dive into the fundamentals every founder needs to know about building a strong digital presence.We cover a lot in a short time, including: How AI and “no-click marketing” are reshaping customer acquisitionWhy your website is your #1 asset—even in the age of AIThe smart way to use email marketing to stand out from your competitorsModern marketing tactics that leverage AIIt’s the kind of conversation you’ll want to bookmark and come back to whenever you need a quick marketing refresher. ----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Learn more about SeedX at seedx.us and at LinkedIn 

With Q3 behind us, the headlines continue to be pessimistic—but Steve Lord,  Burkland's COO and Head of Knowledge Share, says the story is more complicated and less alarming.Steve joins us at the close of each quarter for an update on the startup ecosystem. This quarterly episode is another must-listen, providing a much-needed reality check, insights into the current state of the economy, and guidance on what founders need to know about the venture capital landscape as we approach the end of 2025.We cover:The real story behind the Fed’s recent rate cut—and what’s nextWhy the U.S. economy is stronger than headlines suggestThe lagging impact of interest rates and tariffsWhat founders should NOT do in this fundraising environmentSmart bets for raising capital right nowHow to adapt your pitch deck to today’s market realitiesDon’t buy into the hype that venture is broken. Steve reminds us that this industry is inherently cyclical. What feels like a slowdown today is part of a larger pattern. Founders who recognize macro trends, prepare early for their next raise, and aren’t afraid to communicate with their investors will be best positioned for the upswing ahead.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!Learn more about Burkland at burklandassociates.com.

Ivan Montoya is a venture capitalist with a fresh perspective on the typical VC–founder relationship. He and his firm, NuMundo Ventures, take an unusually hands-on approach with pre-seed and seed-stage founders—providing a level of support typically reserved for Series A and B stage startups.They often form close bonds with founders even before investing, actively helping with fundraising, pitch decks, go-to-market strategy, and everything in between.On this episode of Startup Success, we explore how Ivan’s trajectory from startup operator to angel investor to VC shaped his approach to backing founders, and how he’s helping the next generation of LatAm entrepreneurs achieve remarkable growth and gain traction in the US.We discuss:How to make your startup stand out at an early stageThe power of working with the right VC partnerLatAm’s startup boom and why their ecosystem is ripe for disruptionWhether you’re a founder, investor, or part of the global startup community, this episode takes you inside an emerging tech scene and reveals a new blueprint for the VC-founder relationship.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!Learn more about NuMundo Ventures here: https://numundoventures.com/

Materials development touches all startups—driving technological progress and innovation across every industry.  In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Joseph Krause, Co-Founder & CEO of Radical AI, a groundbreaking startup that's accelerating the discovery of new materials by using AI to transform the traditionally slow and costly R&D process.Fresh off a $55M seed raise, Joseph shares his inspiring startup journey and reveals the secret to building a fast-moving, mission-driven team. Joseph’s top advice for founders: build a ridiculous bias to action into everything you do!Tune in to hear:Radical AI’s plan to remove barriers to innovationHow they deliberately designed a culture that drives them forwardThe payoff of their relentless focus on iterationThis episode is a fascinating listen for any founder as Joseph lays out Radical AI's approach to building a truly revolutionary startup. Plus, if you’re curious about how AI could dramatically change materials development, this interview won't disappoint!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

In this episode, host Kate Adams sits down with Julia Austin—Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, startup advisor, executive coach, and author of After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. With decades of experience leading teams at Akamai, VMware, and DigitalOcean, Julia brings tactical wisdom and deep empathy to the messy, high-stakes realities of startup life.Together, they unpack what really happens after the check clears: from managing investor relationships and board dynamics to building operationally sound companies that can scale. Drawing on frameworks from her book and real-world examples, Julia gives founders clear guidance on how to stay in the driver’s seat—even in the face of strong investor opinions.Highlights includeHow and when to communicate with your investors after the "check clears"Productive ways to disagree with your investors and still build trustStrategies to get the most value out of your board member’s network & expertiseThe gap most startup books miss—and how After the Idea fills itJulia also lays out a strong case for why figuring out the “culture and people stuff” is essential to a startup’s survival. Whether you’re working towards product market fit, building a team, or navigating early-stage chaos, this is your crash course in leading with intention, not reaction.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Purchase your copy of After the Idea here!

In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Ian Bateman, co-founder and CEO of Highscore, a startup on a mission to bring more games to more people—especially long-neglected Mac users—by enabling PC games to work on any device.Ian shares his startup journey—from building a tech startup in college that led to a successful acquisition, to turning his lifelong frustration as a Mac gamer into the inspiration for his current startup, Highscore. With a lean five-person team, a thriving Discord community of users, and a deeply personal connection to the problem they’re solving, Ian offers an honest and energizing look into early-stage startup life.We explore:Highscore’s early pivot that resulted in a win for users and investors The inner workings of their Alpha launch powered by an active user feedback loopHow complementary co-founders can supercharge a startupIan’s take on the gaming industryWhether you're a founder, a gamer, or just love a good startup story, this episode will leave you inspired by what’s possible when passion meets product-market fit.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Learn more at highscore.com or join the conversation on Discord: discord.gg/highscore📱 Follow High Score on Twitter/X: @highscore

Most founders say they value customer feedback—but few know how to truly hear it, let alone act on it. On today’s episode, we are excited to welcome serial founder and CEO Eli Portnoy of Backengine.ai, a platform revolutionizing how businesses capture and act on customer feedback. With over $66M in successful exits behind him, Eli shares the lessons only repeated startup journeys can teach—most critically, why leaning into customer feedback isn't optional, it's foundational to a startup's success.Eli walks us through:Why your startup’s success hinges on aggregating customer feedback across all channelsHow to drive revenue and prevent churn by staying close to customers’ needsWhy many startups fail by ignoring negative customer signalsCritical advice on why CEOs need to meet with customers regularly and assign an owner of customer feedbackEli doesn't just share important learnings around customer feedback, but also what he has learned founding multiple successful startups.  If you're a founder trying to scale, or find product market fit, without losing sight of your customer, this conversation is your blueprint.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Learn more at backengine.ai📫 Contact Eli: eli@backengine.ai

With Q2 in the rearview mirror, we welcome back one of our most popular guests, Steve Lord, COO & Head of Service Delivery at Burkland. Steve joins us for a macro view of the startup and VC ecosystem—and the message is clear: uncertainty still reigns.From geopolitical instability to unpredictable trade policies and inflation, Steve breaks down what founders and investors need to know right now and provides expert tips on how to raise and extend capital in today’s market. We discuss:Why the Fed has not cut interest rates yet and when that will changeHow global uncertainty is chilling startup investmentSmart ways to fundraise (hint: SAFE notes)The episode also includes actionable advice for founders on how to defend your valuation and present a “buttoned-up investment opportunity” that makes it easier for VCs to say yes!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn.🔗 Plus, don’t miss Steve’s blog posts and tools for extending cash runway and strategic planning at burklandassociates.com.

We’re thrilled to welcome back Feras Alhlou—seasoned entrepreneur, startup coach, and co-founder of Start Up With Feras—for another insightful episode of Startup Success.In this candid conversation, Feras dives into what it really takes to build and scale a successful startup. He shares hard-earned lessons from his own journey, including how to focus on what matters most during each phase of the startup lifecycle and why founders must learn to delegate! And he offers his take on giving back to your team and your community.We discuss:The importance of “outsourcing the headache” Common mistakes founders make when trying to scaleWhy only great things come from networkingAdvice for founders out there who are strugglingWhether you're just starting out or gearing up for a major growth spurt, this episode is packed with wisdom you won’t want to miss.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Resources & Tools:Get the Founder Focus Organizer, Feras’s free newsletter, and info on 1:1 coaching at startupwithferas.comConnect with Feras on LinkedIn or subscribe to his YouTube channel @StartUpWithFeras💬 Bonus: Feras offers free 20-minute “Ask Feras” sessions for founders who need clarity. No pitches—just help.

In this episode, we sit down with Merrill Lutsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Graphite, a breakout startup redefining code review for the AI era. Originally built solely as an internal code review tool, Graphite unexpectedly attracted a huge amount of interest from the developer community, prompting the team to pivot their startup to focus entirely on that tool.Today, Graphite’s AI developer productivity platform is helping engineering teams at companies like Ramp, Figma, and Shopify ship code up to 40% faster.We discuss:Graphite’s remarkable user-driven pivotHow they achieved product-market fitThe highly responsive and scalable user feedback loop that propels their successPros & cons of using AI in software development Startup founders – don’t miss this episode packed with lessons on product-market fit, building for a passionate user base, and driving rapid growth in a competitive space.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Explore Graphite at graphite.dev and their AI-powered code review agent at diamond.graphite.dev.

If you’re a founder gearing up to raise capital, this episode of Startup Success is your ultimate fundraising playbook. We’re joined by Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite and Fundingstack, and host of the How I Raised It podcast. Nathan has helped hundreds of startups navigate every stage of the fundraising process—and he’s sharing his top strategies to help you maximize your next raise.We explore the full fundraising journey—from building a strong investor pipeline to closing the round—and zoom in on how to make your pitch deck truly stand out.Nathan breaks down:How to craft a compelling narrative that sticks with investorsStrategies to target the right investors (not “spray and pray”)Your pitch deck - the essential slides you must includeAnd the #1 mistake most founders make when pitchingWhether you’re pitching VCs or prepping for a demo day, this episode is packed with actionable insights and straight talk from a true fundraising expert.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Learn more about Foundersuite at https://www.foundersuite.com and Fundingstack at https://fundingstack.com.

What makes a co-founder relationship thrive—or fall apart? In this episode of Startup Success, we’re joined by Tim He, Founder of Cherrytree, a company helping startup co-founders navigate the tricky terrain of working together. Tim draws on his personal experience co-founding a startup with four friends and explains how that journey led him to launch a newsletter and private coaching practice for startup founders.We dive deep into the questions most founders overlook: Should you go into business with a close friendDo you really need a co-founder agreementWhy being “too trusting” is often a bigger issue than distrustHow dividing co-founders into technical and non-technical roles can lead to a power imbalanceTim challenges common assumptions about trust, communication, and compatibility, offering a fresh take on how to actually work on your co-founder relationship—just like you would a marriage or friendship.If you’re ready to work on your co-founder relationship, not just your startup, this one’s for you!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Learn more about Cherrytree visit their website at https://cherrytree.beehiiv.com/

What makes a startup board really effective? How do you build one that will truly benefit your startup? How do you conduct board meetings that are helpful and not just a quarterly scramble to put together a deck? In this episode of Startup Success, we dive deep into a topic we’ve never explored before: the real role and power of a startup board. Your board can be a game-changer for your startup—if done the right way.Joining us are Matt Blumberg, CEO of Acrolinx, and Mahendra Ramsinghani, the Managing Director of Secure Octane Investments —two of the co-authors of Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors. Together, sharing the operator and investor perspectives, they give practical advice for startup boards and board meetings that you can use today. In this episode, we discuss:The purpose of a startup board and its role in your startup’s successHow to put together your board - selecting and recruiting the right directors, and how to change that mix as you scaleEffective board meetings - practical advice - ranging from the agenda to slides to seating arrangements -  that will improve your meetings Whether you’re building your first board, wanting to optimize the one you have, or are looking to greatly improve your board meetings, this episode is a masterclass in getting it right.🛠️Grab your copy of Startup Boards for even more insights.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Arielle Lechner, Executive Coach and Founder of NewPo, to discuss the crucial role of decision-making and leadership in early-stage startups. Arielle, a mentor for TechStars and former startup operator, shares insights on how founders can move faster, avoid burnout, and create a thriving company culture.We dive into how founders can distinguish between upstream and downstream problems, the power of thinking like a scientist when iterating, and Arielle’s Lift and Thrust model for balancing team motivation and momentum.Tune in to learn how to:Stop wasting time on the wrong issues and focus on the upstream problemsCreate a culture that propels your team forward even in difficult timesMove away from the mindset and assumptions that limit your startup’s potential to scaleDon’t miss this episode packed with actionable takeaways on how to successfully navigate the hard decisions and complex challenges that come with leading a startup.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! To learn more about NewPo visit https://www.newpo.io/

Finding startup success outside of Silicon Valley is possible – it just requires some ingenuity.We couldn’t think of anyone who knows more about this topic than Rick Turoczy.With three decades of experience supporting founders, Rick Turoczy, GM and Co-founder of PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment), is the ultimate connector and an expert at helping startups turn ideas into reality. In this episode, we sit down with Rick to explore how startups outside of the Bay Area can find support in their community and he gives us an inside look at the fundraising landscape beyond the Valley.We discuss:Creative fundraising strategies outside of Silicon ValleyTactics for leveraging local resources to help scale your startupHow to pick the right accelerator for your startupWhy the lack of easily accessible capital combined with the proliferation of AI could be a perfect storm for innovationIf you're a founder looking to find startup success in your own community, this episode is a must-listen!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! To learn more about PIE visit https://www.piepdx.com/

Join us for a Q1 update! Kicking off 2025, many anticipated a return to the "good old days" of economic optimism, but the reality has been more complex. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Steven Lord, Burkland’s COO, to get a pulse on the startup ecosystem and the broader economic landscape as Q1 comes to a close.We discuss:What’s going on with interest rates?Trends in startup valuations and venture capitalThe latest on inflation and the declining consumer confidence indexSteps founders can take now to be prepared for what’s next AI continues to dominate investment conversations, but we’re seeing a shift toward niche AI applications and industry-specific use cases. Meanwhile, economic uncertainty has created a turbulent environment for startups reliant on government grants and regulatory stability, leaving many clean energy, healthcare, and fintech founders in limbo.Tune in for a deep dive into the forces shaping startup success in 2025, and what founders, investors, and business leaders should watch for in the months ahead -- plus a quick PSA moment on protecting your startup against hackers!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we explore the data privacy considerations that all founders need to address, not ignore, with Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures. Katharine fully understands all the priorities and stresses founders face, so she lays out a clear roadmap for them with small, actionable steps they can take now that will help them down the road with privacy.With an intriguing background that spans from her first job as a parole officer to the early days of data protection programs at Facebook and now her work in venture capital, Katharine is a true authority on data privacy. She “gets” the mindset of founders and knows what they need to do today around privacy and data collection.Katharine offers perspective on:The big dangers of not prioritizing privacy in the AI eraWhy more is not better when it comes to collecting customer dataDoes data mapping solve privacy?What VCs can learn about a founder by how they manage privacyFounders and VCs – don’t miss this deep dive into a topic that’s becoming non-negotiable in the startup world!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

Pricing and packaging can make or break a startup, yet many founders struggle to get it right. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Fynn Glover, Co-Founder and CEO of Schematic, to explore his journey from startup founder to pricing and packaging expert. Fynn shares lessons from his first startup—how a pivot led to an acquisition, the challenges of scaling, and what sparked his fascination with pricing.And we dive into:How to get a deep understanding of your market's willingness to payThe big upside of having pricing and packaging that can evolve as fast as your product roadmapWhy decoupling pricing from the engineering function allows for more creativity around monetization Whether you're starting a new venture or scaling a business, this episode offers valuable insights on monetization, customer pricing dynamics, and conquering common pricing challenges![01:42] Fynn’s First Startup, Pivot, and Acquisition[05:29] Founding Schematic[08:00] Challenges and Insights in Pricing and Packaging[10:00] Schematic's Approach and Early Success[17:17] Advice for Startup Founders----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

In this episode of Startup Success, we are joined by Daniel Loreto, founder of Jetify, who dives into his journey from working at tech giants like Google, Twitter, and Airbnb to launching his own startup. Daniel shares how his passion for accelerating software development led to the creation of Jetify and how AI is transforming the way developers bring ideas to life.Highlights:Daniel’s candid advice on raising a successful seed roundHis careful approach towards scaling and spending moneyStrategies for creating the right company culture and building a high-performing teamHow AI agents like Jetify’s Test Pilot are revolutionizing the software development lifecycleThis episode is packed with valuable insights on navigating the startup ecosystem, leveraging AI, turning your passion into a business, and more! Tune in now to hear Daniel’s journey and his vision for the future of software development!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

There is no getting around the power of customer feedback in building a successful startup.In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Luke Kim, founder and CEO of Liner, an AI-powered search tool revolutionizing the way researchers, students, and knowledge workers find reliable information. As a child during the dot-com boom, Luke dreamed of one day starting his own company. Right out of college, he turned his dream into reality by founding Liner, which is now one of the top AI search tools in the world.Luke shares his incredible journey and highlights his team’s successful strategy for harnessing the power of customer feedback to build a highly engaged and passionate user base that drives growth organically.We discuss:How his team maintains a close connection to customer pain points and heavily relies on user feedback to drive product developmentLiner’s recent $22M Series B funding and their strategy for scaling globallyTheir quick pivot to AI search within a week of ChatGPT’s API original releaseLuke’s insights into building a 100% customer-centric team provide invaluable lessons for startup founders at any stage.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!