Episodes

  • Your data isn’t ready for AI with Prukalpa Sankar from Atlan
    Sep 17 2024

    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

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    41 mins
  • Closing the gaps in hormonal healthcare with Sylvia Kang from Mira
    Sep 10 2024

    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 Health
    01:45 - The Lack of Hormonal Health Data and Fertility Challenges
    05:11 - The Inspiration Behind Starting Mira
    07:30 - Early Feedback from Doctors and Investors
    10:58 - The Evolution of the Women’s Health Market
    13:25 - Overcoming the Lack of Scientific Research and Data Collection
    16:51 - Impact of COVID-19 on Mira’s Growth
    18:42 - Mira as a Cost-Effective Solution to Fertility Issues
    21:29 - Mira’s Expansion Beyond Fertility and into IVF
    25:02 - Utilizing AI to Personalize Hormonal Health Tracking
    28:35 - Sylvia’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
    32:15 - Building a Female-Driven Company Culture at Mira
    34:49 - 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

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    • On Twitter
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    • Via email: found@techcrunch.com
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    44 mins
  • Cleaning up the macro-messes caused by microplastics with Sarah Paiji Yoo from Blueland
    Sep 3 2024

    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

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    • On Twitter
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    50 mins
  • Lessons from a lifetime entrepreneur with Eric Ly from KarmaCheck
    Aug 27 2024

    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

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    38 mins
  • Taking on Nvidia and betting on transformers with Gavin Uberti from Etched
    Aug 20 2024

    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

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    • On Twitter
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    • Via email: found@techcrunch.com
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    40 mins
  • Has Rippling won? with Parker Conrad from Rippling
    Aug 13 2024

    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

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    • On Twitter
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    50 mins
  • Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nick Frosst from Cohere
    Aug 6 2024

    Enterprise AI is booming so it’s no wonder that, as companies figure out how to implement it, the industry of AI infrastructure is emerging. This week Becca and Dom talk to Nick Frosst from Cohere, the AI company building natural language models for enterprise customers. They discuss why Frosst thinks the AI boom isn’t built on a bubble, whether or not AI companies are building toward a “digital god”, and how AI regulation could be a good thing.

    (0:00) Introduction

    (6:15) Enterprise applications for AI language models

    (12:12) Building multilingual models

    (14:58) Fundraising and the AI bubble

    (19:46) AI and sustainability

    (25:14) Building the Cohere team

    (29:44) 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

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    • On Twitter
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    39 mins
  • Building a marketplace of refurbished tech with Thibaud Hug de Larauze from Back Market
    Jul 30 2024

    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
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    • Via email: found@techcrunch.com
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    38 mins