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April 22, 2025

The Simple Tricks Founders Need To Build WINNING Teams — An IO Interview With Nakul Mandan

In this episode of the IO Podcast, Nakul Mandan (founder of Audacious Ventures) shares his tips and tricks for recruiting top talent, the most critical assets for successful companies. He also shares his story of becoming a top investor and what every startup founder needs to know to successfully raise…

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April 17, 2025

What This Founder Is Doing Differently On His 2nd Unicorn

This video is from the IO Podcast with Brandon Rodman. Watch the full thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_WXoUv1c8&t=917s

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April 15, 2025

What To Do When Investors Don't Believe In You...

This clip is from the IO Podcast with Brandon Rodman. View the full thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_WXoUv1c8&t=917s

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April 12, 2025

How Long SHOULD It Take To Build $1B Company?

This clip is from the IO Podcast with Brandon Rodman. See the whole thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_WXoUv1c8&t=917s

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April 8, 2025

His Company Went Public At $1.8 BILLION...And His Next Idea Is Even Bigger

In this episode of Exceptional Startups, Brandon Rodman (founder of Weave and now Previ) breaks down how he’s quietly building a Costco for the modern workforce — one that’s already grown from 300K to 1.5M users in 3 months, all without charging employers a dime. He shares hard-earned lessons from…

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April 3, 2025

How Great Founders Nail Cold Outreach (in 60 Seconds)

Founders screw up outreach by treating everyone the same. Engineers hate calls. Sales leaders hate email. 📞 Choose the right vector ✂️ Cut the fluff 🔁 Iterate This 60-sec clip breaks it down. Subscribe to the Investor Operator Podcast for more content like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayuY0VO95kQTUXJvh9T0oQ #startups #founders #sales #growth

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April 2, 2025

Don't Hire A Sales Team, The Founder Should Sell | Founding Sales with Pete Kazanjy #podcast

Think you can’t sell because you’re a technical founder? Wrong. Not only can you do it—you're probably the only one who can. It's a skill, just like anything else. Pete Kazanjy, legendary sales leader and author of Founding Sales (a book YC gives out to everyone in their batch!) breaks…

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April 1, 2025

How To Know If Your Sales Pitch Is Working | Pete Kazanjy, IO Podcast #podcast #sales #startups

“Nice pitch, Sterling…” If that’s all you’re hearing after a discovery call, your narrative isn’t landing. Pete Kazany, author of legendary startup sales book Founding Sales breaks down how to tell if your outbound story is working—or if you’re still missing the mark. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uWE6AgZM51M&t=2075s #Startups #Sales #FoundingSales…

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March 25, 2025

The Sales Playbook Every Founder Needs to Know | Pete Kazanjy, Author of Founding Sales | IO Pod

In this episode, Pete Kazanjy—author of Founding Sales and a veteran sales leader—joins hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow to share a crash course in founder-led sales, explaining why early-stage founders have to take charge of selling before hiring sales reps. He breaks down the key mindset shifts for technical…

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Feb. 20, 2025

Calling All Exceptional Founders -- What's Next For Season 2 of the I/O Podcast

How do early-stage founders break through and build exceptional companies? In this upcoming season of the I/O Podcast, hosts Sterling Snow and Tyler Hogge have a new approach—combining insights from the Exceptional Startups List with tactical advice from founders actively scaling their businesses. This season, we’re setting out to be…

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Dec. 4, 2024

Hire People You Need To Hold Back, Not Motivate - How to Find Your First Hire #podcast #entrepreneur

One of the best hiring mindsets we’ve heard: Hire people you’ll have to hold back, not push. These are the ones you’ll need to rein in—not motivate. They’re driven, unstoppable, and will win with or without you. You want that energy in your business. World Class tech executive coach Dr.…

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Nov. 21, 2024

What It Takes To Build A Billion Dollar Startup w Exec Coach Dr. Julie Gurner #podcast #entrepreneur

There's a common fantasy about quitting your job to start a company: the allure of full control and unlimited freedom. But in reality, it often means embracing the Second Shift—working your 9 to 5, and then putting in the real hours afterward. As a founder, it's your job to set…

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Nov. 19, 2024

The Biggest Problem With First Time Founders And How To Fix It - Dr. Gurner #podcast #entrepreneur

Are you leading your company or is your company leading you? World class executive coach Dr. Julie Gurner says a common issue she sees with first time founders is they're reactive to the problems and environments around their companies. But big things only get made when the leader's out in…

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Nov. 14, 2024

Extreme Results Come from Extreme People - Advice from An Exec Coach On How To Excel #podcast

To achieve outlier results, you have to be an outlier. Dr. Julie Gurner, a world famous Executive Coach joined us on the I/O Podcast to teach us how these outlier people operate and how anyone can learn to excel. What sets Outliers apart? They see the world as malleable—meaning they…

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Nov. 12, 2024

The Formula for Outlier Success with Dr. Gurner, a World's Best Executive Coach | IO Pod Ep 15

How do you become the best of the best—the top performer in your field? Dr. Julie Gurner, an acclaimed executive coach and once likened to Billions’ Wendy Rhoades by The Wall Street Journal, shares her insights on what it takes to excel at the highest level. In this episode, Dr.…

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Oct. 30, 2024

The Formula To Find Product-Market Fit: Sell, Design, Build. Jack Altman on the IO Pod #podcast

Any Entrepreneur or Investor will tell you you don't have much of a business until you find Product Market Fit -- meaning, your product solves a pain point so well that there's real demand and people need it. Jack Altman, the unicorn founder of Lattice and now AltCapital says the…

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Oct. 24, 2024

Jack Altman says the future of SaaS will be All-in-One Solutions| IO Pod #podcast #entrepreneurship

The future winners of SaaS won't be the best at one thing -- they'll be the best at integrating and simplifying. Unicorn founder and investor Jack Altman explains companies are looking for compound solutions and fewer vendors. The startups that can do it all will come out on top. More…

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Oct. 17, 2024

Jack Altman lays out the best way to find your company vision #podcast #entrepreneurship

Founders and companies have many acts, i.e. you don't ALWAYS have it figured out the first time around. But that's not always bad -- sometimes that first wedge gives you access to customers, relationships and capital for an even bigger next swing. Jack Altman joined us on the IO Podcast…

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Oct. 11, 2024

'Difficult' People are NOT The Best Founders. Jack Altman on Top Founder Traits #podcast

Many of the most celebrated founders are described as 'difficult' personalities. But Jack Altman, founder of Alt Capital and Lattice says the best founders he's invested in share one common trait: self-awareness. It's not just about being the hardest worker or the smartest person in the room. Big outcomes come…

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Oct. 9, 2024

Jack Altman: Why Being A Good Person and a Good CEO Aren't Always The Same Thing #podcast

Self Awareness is the number one attribute needed to excel as a leader, and that's even more true if you're a startup founder. Jack Altman says there's a difference between being a good person and being a good CEO and it takes awareness to recognize what attributes are needed for…

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Oct. 4, 2024

Jack Altman's Investing Criteria: Will The Product Be Around in 10 Years? #podcast #entrepreneurship

Jack Altman, the founder of multi-billion dollar startup Lattice and now full time investor at Alt Capital says if you're building a company or looking to invest, you have to get real about your product. If you're not building something that won't have reoccuring customers for at least 10 years,…

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Oct. 3, 2024

Sam Altman's Brother Says You Have To Build A Product That Will Be Used 10 years from now #podcast

Jack Altman, the founder of multi-billion dollar startup Lattice and now full time investor at Alt Capital says if you're building a company or looking to invest, you have to get real about your product. If you're not building something that won't have reoccuring customers for at least 10 years,…

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Oct. 1, 2024

Building Lattice & Alt Capital: Jack Altman On Investing & Operating

"Joining a company as early as possible, right after achieving product-market fit, offers the greatest career advantage." – Jack Altman Jack Altman epitomizes the true "Investor-Operator." As the co-founder and former CEO of the multi-billion-dollar startup Lattice, and now a full-time investor with his $150 million venture fund, Alt Capital,…

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Sept. 27, 2024

How The Best Companies Manage Their R&D Spending: Find New Opportunities w/out Jeopardizing Growth

Efficient R&D spending is crucial for startups to innovate, grow, and stay competitive. But how much should you spend on experimentation vs core improvements? @a16z Growth Fund leader David George gave us his framework on the latest ep: The 70-20-10 split. 70% of resources go toward core projects (incremental improvements),…

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