Build Mode

Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True Ventures' Puneet Agarwal

Venture capital is more concentrated than ever, making it increasingly difficult for early-stage founders to land their first check. So what does it actually take to stan

The Case for Crowdfunding Before Raising Venture Capital with Everette Taylor, Kickstarter

For years, crowdfunding had a reputation as the place founders went when they couldn’t raise venture capital. Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor thinks founders should look

How a first-time founder bootstrapped her way to a $47.5 Million Exit with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, FarboxRx

Ashley Tyrner-Dolce spent more than a decade building FarmboxRx without taking a single dollar of venture capital and ultimately exited the company while still owning the

Archer Went Public Just 3 Years After Launching and It Paid Off with Adam Goldstein

Building flying taxis takes billions of dollars. So instead of relying on traditional venture rounds, Archer Aviation went public just a few years after it was founded.

How Mbodi Is Solving Robotics’ Scaling Problem with Xavier Chi

Robotics is having an AI boom, but don’t expect it to have a ChatGPT moment. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Xavier Chi, co-founde

Mistakes That Make Investors Nervous, According to a PhD in Pitching

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of

How a Crisis Turned Julia Hartz Into the CEO Eventbrite Needed

Eventbrite has survived nearly every kind of challenge a startup can face: launching into a financial crisis, raising venture capital after 27 rejections, going public, w

Learn What VCs Actually Want, From a Founder Who's Raised $1B with Sasha Orloff, Puzzle

Investors want founders who understand the financial reality of their business. Messy data, misunderstood metrics, or waiting until you’re nearly out of cash to start fun

The VC Backing the American Dream with Manan Mehta, Unshackled Ventures

Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrict

The legal mistakes that can sink your startup before series A with Kristina Subbotina, Lexsy

Setting up a sound legal foundation could be what saves a startup down the line. A missing founder vesting agreement, an unclear IP agreement, or a messy cap table can de

Why SeatGeek walked away from going public with Jack Groetzinger

SeatGeek didn't become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known

Nvidia's Sydney Sykes on Winning Corporate Venture Capital Deals

Building a great product is one thing. Getting a company like Nvidia to put its name behind it is something else entirely. In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startu

How Elorian AI pulled off a $300M pre-seed valuation with Andrew Dai

Building an AI startup is one thing. Raising one of the largest seed rounds of the year before launching a product is something else entirely. In this episode of Build M

The New Rules of Early-Stage Fundraising with Charles Hudson

Raising your first round has always been hard — but in today’s market, the rules are changing fast. In this episode of Build Mode, our host and Startup Battlefield lead

Build Mode: Inside the Fundraise

Startup fundraising is harder than ever, and Season 3 of Build Mode is here to help. Whether you're raising a seed round, preparing for Series A, pitching venture capital

Best of Build Mode: Think like a VC

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about venture capital. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye rev

Best of Build Mode: Scaling Company Culture

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about company culture. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye rev

Best of Build Mode: The Founder Mistakes That Cost Time, Money, and Growth

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about startup mistakes, hard-earned lessons, and the decisions founders wis

Best of Build Mode: Cofounders, Conflict and Compatibility

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about effective partnerships, from cofounder relationships and team trust t

The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas

This week we're sharing our very first episode with Deon Nicholas, the co-founder and CEO of Forethought AI. In this episode, Nicholas shares how he built a company tha