Build Mode
by TechCrunch
Latest episode
Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True…
Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True…
About this podcast
On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies — and sanity— intact. Each season, Isabelle is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into specific aspects of the startup journey, from creative go to market strategies to founder mental health. The interviews are full of candid startup wisdom—think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. So, if you’re starting a company or or even just thinking about it, this is your survival guide.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 242 episodes
- Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True Ventures' Puneet Agarwal · 57 minVenture 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 stand out to…
- The Case for Crowdfunding Before Raising Venture Capital with Everette Taylor, Kickstarter · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 13For 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 at it…
- How a first-time founder bootstrapped her way to a $47.5 Million Exit with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, FarboxRx · 44 min · Season 3 Episode 12Ashley 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 · 40 minBuilding 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. In this…
- How Mbodi Is Solving Robotics’ Scaling Problem with Xavier Chi · 34 minRobotics 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-founder of…
- Mistakes That Make Investors Nervous, According to a PhD in Pitching · 57 min · Season 3 Episode 9There 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 Build…
- How a Crisis Turned Julia Hartz Into the CEO Eventbrite Needed · 59 min · Season 3 Episode 8Eventbrite has survived nearly every kind of challenge a startup can face: launching into a financial crisis, raising venture capital after 27 rejections, going public, watching…
- Learn What VCs Actually Want, From a Founder Who's Raised $1B with Sasha Orloff, Puzzle · 45 min · Season 3 Episode 7Investors 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 fundraising…
- The VC Backing the American Dream with Manan Mehta, Unshackled Ventures · 43 min · Season 3 Episode 6Immigrant 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 restrictions…
- The legal mistakes that can sink your startup before series A with Kristina Subbotina, Lexsy · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 5Setting 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 derail…
- Why SeatGeek walked away from going public with Jack Groetzinger · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 4SeatGeek 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 as…
- Nvidia's Sydney Sykes on Winning Corporate Venture Capital Deals · 43 min · Season 3 Episode 3Building 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 Startup…
- How Elorian AI pulled off a $300M pre-seed valuation with Andrew Dai · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 2Building 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 Mode…
- The New Rules of Early-Stage Fundraising with Charles Hudson · 42 min · Season 3 Episode 1Raising 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 Isabelle…
- Build Mode: Inside the Fundraise · 1 min · Season 3 Episode 1Startup 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 firms…
- Best of Build Mode: Think like a VC · 17 minThis 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 revisit…
- Best of Build Mode: Scaling Company Culture · 18 minThis 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 revisit…
- Best of Build Mode: The Founder Mistakes That Cost Time, Money, and Growth · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 10This 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 wish they’d…
- Best of Build Mode: Cofounders, Conflict and Compatibility · 21 minThis 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 to…
- The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas · 46 minThis 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 that puts…
