StartUp Podcast

Well written, well researched, looks at both angles to each story

I have never heard anything like this podcast - following the start of a business through the years was an amazing ride! Absolute delight to listen to.

Lisa is the best story teller and podcaster I’ve had the joy of listening to. I was deeply moved by the Success Academy story. Very balanced coverage. I kept flipping my opinion throughout. So good, I’m hooked.

This started very strong, as many reviews have mentioned. But then it started drifting away from the original theme and became rather political. They placed a concerning amount of emphasis on skin colors and genders.

This is review of season 2, not season 1–and I hope the creators see this critique and consider it for future episodes! First, just wanna say the show was pretty great. It was awesome following the Dating Ring girls through their ups and downs along with the eloquent hosts. My only issue comes with Season 2 episode 6: Profiled. I had no interest in listening to non-black females/non-Asian males or a company created by majority white females talk about the struggle of dating as an Asian male or black woman for 26 minutes. The Ok-Cupid statistic is used frivolously with no attention to how it might make listeners feel, and I’ve found that particular statistic’s use to be damaging and self-fulfilling. If you believe you’re undesirable, you are, the same way that if you believe YOU ARE DESIRABLE, you are. This trumps race in almost every circumstance, but how is anyone ever supposed to find themselves desirable if podcasts keep telling them the “facts” state otherwise? This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that “fact” used this way, and it’s effects have truly taken years to unlearn. Next time have someone qualified discuss or unpack the ramifications of what you’re saying. As a media company don’t perpetuate “the facts of what society finds desirable” so carelessly. For who do you think portrays what we see as desirable? Overall, I liked the series, but episode 6 rubbed me the wrong way—I don’t think I’ll be finishing it.

The very first season of Startup was excellent but this podcast has only gone downhill from there. The episodes gradually got less and less interesting and then in late 2018 they started putting as many ads as possible into each episode. After that they ruined this feed by spamming it with Without Fail episodes. Additionally, with the recent three episode season on Spotify's acquisition of Gimlet, they were too careful not to give away any important details. Those three episodes were nothing like the first season.