The Founder Initiative

Technology Podcasts

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)

Location:

United States

Genres:

Technology Podcasts

Business & Economics Podcasts

Entrepreneurship

Description:

Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)

Language:

English

Website:

https://thetop-vc.simplecast.com

Episodes

(YC S25) Phases.ai’s Founder, James Wall: IRL, Donuts & A Rental Car To Hit PMF?

1/28/2026

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups James Wall, Founder of Phases.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-m-wall/

Duration:00:37:39

($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF

1/21/2026

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups FOUNDER PROFILE: Scott Stevenson, Founder of Spellbook https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottas

Duration:00:41:36

($70M+ Raised) Merge Founder, Gil Feig: Nailing Customer Discovery Interview To Hit PMF Faster

1/13/2026

Duration:00:30:41

($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and more

1/8/2026

Duration:00:29:31

(Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup

12/17/2025

Duration:00:31:32

(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF

12/16/2025

Duration:00:40:03

Building A Unicorn: Chargebee's Co-Founder, Krish Subramanian & CMO, Guy Marion (formerly Brightback Founder, sold to Chargebee): hitting PMF, idea to 1st dollar & decision to exit

12/9/2025

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. FOUNDER PROFILE: Krish Subramanian, Founder - Chargebee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishs/ Guy Marion, CMO - Chargebee- https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymarion

Duration:00:40:34

Amazon Invested In Glacier; This Is Their Founder's Story, Rebecca Hu-Thrams

12/4/2025

Duration:00:34:37

(2000+ investments) Dave Lambert, Managing Director at RSCM, Shares Traits of Successful Founders

12/2/2025

Duration:00:35:24

($100M raised) RetailNext Founder, Alexei Agratchev: Earned Insights From 18-Years (funding, growth, & scaling)

11/19/2025

Duration:00:31:00

(YC S21) $10M ARR, Storylane Founder, Nalin Senthamil: PMF Unlock - Are Prospects Interrupting You?

11/12/2025

Duration:00:24:59

(YC S23) Gleam Founder, Oliver Keh: Investigative Journalist Approach To PMF

11/6/2025

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. FOUNDER PROFILE: Oliver Keh, Founder of Gleam https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-keh COMPANY: https://joingleam.com/ Gleam automatically extracts data from any source, intelligently validates it against protocol, eliminates queries before they occur, and instantly populates your EDC—accelerating database lock and shortening trial timelines.

Duration:00:24:23

(YC W21) Sold to Dropbox, Promoted.ai's Founder, Andrew Yates: GTM Lessons Learned & Deciding What To Build

11/4/2025

Duration:00:28:25

Roo Capital's Founder, Nate DaPore: Most VCs Are Like Seagulls, Is This The Future of Platform?

10/30/2025

Duration:00:29:24

(YC F25) Denied 6x By YC: Hyperspell's Founder, Conor Brennan-Burke: Your Startup Is Not About You

10/28/2025

Duration:00:32:29

a16z Partner Interview, Seema Amble: 3 things she looks for in early-stage startups, how to get a meeting with her, & more

10/23/2025

Duration:00:32:36

($70M+ Raised) Future Family Founder, Claire Tomkins: Surprising Key To Fundraising, Journey To PMF

10/16/2025

Duration:00:33:09

($55M Raised) Benchmark & Mayfield Invested; Sema4.ai's Founder, Ram Venkatesh: Getting Early Conviction, Hitting PMF & Raising $55M

10/14/2025

Duration:00:35:11

a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC

10/9/2025

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. FOUNDER PROFILE: Arvind Parthasarathi https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindparthasarathi/

Duration:00:30:42

YC Founder & Thiel Fellow; Arist's Founder, Michael loffe: selling to enterprises, PMF, & articulating $100M to VCs

10/7/2025

Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Micahel loffe, Founder of Arist https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaioffe/

Duration:00:30:08