The Real Cost of Building a Business That Runs Your Life Featuring Dominic Rubino
Larry Hagner (Dominic Rubino referenced) recounted walking away from a highly successful franchise business after a chilling moment at the dinner table with his nine-year-old son made him confront the personal cost of constant travel and work. Hagner and a partner had grown a franchise from six to 240 locations over 13 years, routinely traveling and prioritizing the business over family. After declining a surprise buyout offer, he decided to sell the company soon after, saying the decision restored his happiness though disentangling the business was difficult. He also noted the ironic silence from franchisees after the sale and reflected on missed family milestones that no amount of external success had compensated for.
Why This Bank CEO Doesn't Pay Bonuses | Fintech Chatter
FinTech Chatter’s interview with Michelle Bagnell, CEO of Bank First, explores why the mutual bank eschews traditional bonuses in favor of a purpose‑driven model. Bagnell traces the institution’s roots to a 1970s teachers’ union shoebox, where 48 members pooled $10...
Top 5 AI Business Ideas In 2026 | 5 Best AI Businesess To Start With Zero Investment | Simplilearn
The video spotlights a surge of low‑cost, zero‑investment AI business ideas, arguing that individuals can now earn more than traditional employees by building simple, problem‑focused tools. It underscores the massive growth of the AI market—valued at $184 billion in 2024 and...
How Founders Become Investable | Tyrus Shivers on Capital Raising & AI
Tyrus Shivers traces his rise from a rural Alabama upbringing and early entrepreneurship to building a rapid-growth property management business, which later collapsed under debt and overreach. After a medical retirement from the Air Force, he pivoted into government IT...
The Most Intense Workplace Culture in America | The Journey From $0 to $2.6BN Valuation
The interview spotlights Corgi Insurance, a fast‑growing startup now valued at $2.5 billion, and its founder‑CEO Nico’s unapologetically extreme workplace philosophy. The company rejects conventional weekends, expects employees to be on‑site seven days a week, and even runs weekend work‑trial interviews...
Velo3D (NASDAQ: VELO) on Large Format Metal 3D Printing and Value Catalysts for 2026
Velo3D (NASDAQ: VELO) used the Planet Micro Cap podcast to outline its strategy around large‑format metal additive manufacturing and the value catalysts it expects to drive through 2026. The company, founded in 2014 and now employing roughly 150 staff in...
25 African Startups to Watch; Fintech Unicorn Moniepoint in Focus | Bloomberg Next Africa
Bloomberg’s 2026 African Startups to Watch list spotlights a new wave of companies tackling urgent infrastructure gaps, with fintech unicorn Moniepoint taking center stage. The edition’s theme, "urgency," reflects a continent‑wide shift from speculative AI projects to solutions that address...
Inside the $250M Company Run Entirely by AI Agents | Ben Cera, Polsia
Pulsia, founded by Ben Cera, announced a $30 million Series A at a $250 million valuation. The startup markets an AI‑driven operating system that can launch and run a company from idea to revenue with virtually no human staff. The platform stitches together large‑language‑model...
Wild Trail Safari: A Family Passion Turned Reality
Wild Trail Safari, a family‑run drive‑through zoo just outside Polk, Nebraska, opened its gates to the public this summer, offering a unique blend of exotic wildlife and agritourism. Founded by Spencer and Abby Smith with their children Sutton and Sage,...
GTM That Actually Works with Sivan Pliskov
Sivan Pliskov delivered a practical, no-hype guide to go-to-market (GTM) strategy focused on turning early traction into repeatable growth. She emphasized the typical GTM evolution—founder-led learning, then product-led scaling, and finally partnership/ecosystem distribution—and warned against scaling before you have predictable...
DON’T Accept Investments Until You Watch This
The speaker warns entrepreneurs against casually accepting friends-and-family funding without clear legal agreements, noting that more than 80% of businesses fail within five years and investors must be prepared to lose their money. He emphasizes that early personal investors can...
You Do Not Have to Be a Founder to Be an Entrepreneur and This Is Proof
The speaker distinguishes between being a founder and being an entrepreneur, arguing that one can build significant businesses without originating the brand. Using Barry’s as an example, she describes joining an established concept through franchising—leveraging a proven template while executing...
Why Two IIT Engineers Turned Down $550K Jobs To Build A Startup
The video recounts how two IIT‑trained engineers turned down a combined $550,000 salary package to found GigaML, a startup building AI‑driven customer‑support agents. After a surprising Y Combinator interview where partner HJ dismissed their ed‑tech idea, the founders pivoted to fine‑tuning...
The Real Bottleneck in AI Agents Isn't the Tech | Regina Lin, ThirdLayer
The interview with Regina Lin, co‑founder of Dex, explores why the real bottleneck for AI agents lies in workflow integration rather than raw model capability. Dex builds a Chrome extension that leverages contextual cues from the browser and executes actions...
The TRUTH About Manufacturing #fashion
Factories impose minimum order quantities (MOQs) that vary widely by product complexity and supplier maturity. Start-up or simple products can often be produced at MOQs of 20–100 units, while highly customized items or fabrics not stocked by the factory can...
Runway and Holy Water: Two AI Video Companies Trying to Upend Entertainment | StrictlyVC Athens 2026
The StrictlyVC Athens 2026 panel featured Anastasis, co‑CEO of Runway, and Anatoli Kazanov, co‑CEO of Holy Water Tech, two AI‑driven video companies that have taken divergent paths since their 2018 and 2020 launches. Runway, valued at over $5 billion, positions itself...
How A Special Ops Veteran And His Military Spouse Built A Bakery Rooted In Grit And Giving Back
Bravery Bake House, founded by Special Ops veteran Aaron Bondre and his spouse Nick Vandre in Southern Pines, N.C., grew from home-baked giveaways into a storefront launched in July 2025. The bakery centers military spouses and caregivers, branding itself around...
Three VC Perspectives on SpaceX, AI Valuation Fever and Where to Bet Next | StrictlyVC Athens 2026
The StrictlyVC Athens 2026 panel brought together three venture capitalists to dissect three hot topics: the looming SpaceX IPO, the feverish AI‑valuation environment, and where savvy investors should place their next bets. Their conversation framed the SpaceX offering as...
Why You Can’t Go Small After Going Big
After a canceled acquisition left the startup with roughly $1 million and a $250,000 monthly burn, the founders opted for a modest seed extension of about $1 million and layoffs rather than doubling down to pursue a billion-dollar outcome. The...
Fundraising And Exit Lessons From A 2x Founder: Andrei Serban of Console
The episode follows 2x founder Andrei Serban as he reflects on the sale of his security‑testing startup BuzzBuzz and the launch of his next venture, Console. He outlines how the acquisition unfolded, why he chose to exit early, and how...
I Built A Micro-Version Of A $1B SaaS. Now I Make $50K/Month
David and his brother Daniel launched Shipper, an AI‑powered app‑builder that turns prompts into full‑stack applications—including websites, mobile apps, Chrome extensions, and bots. Starting with a single developer, they released a rough MVP, iterated quickly, and within six months achieved...
Add A Hunting Business To Your Farm or Ranch (Without the Headaches) with Nic De Castro of LandTrust
LandTrust, founded by Nick De Castro, operates an online marketplace that connects landowners—primarily farmers and ranchers—with hunters and outdoor recreation seekers, functioning like an Airbnb for access rather than lodging. The platform emphasizes trust-building with landowning families through request-based bookings,...
Female Founders & Leaders | Marketplace Webinar
The London Stock Exchange’s Spark Insights webinar gathered four seasoned female founders to discuss leadership, growth, and the unique challenges women face in scaling businesses. Panelists shared personal journeys—from Barbara Spurer’s successful exit of CFPro after supporting 40 IPOs, to...
In Conversation With Parloa's Malte Kosub: Redefining Customer Experience
In a candid interview, Parloa CEO Malte Kosub outlines how his European‑born startup is redefining customer experience by championing voice‑first AI. He recounts the company’s evolution from a 2016 voice‑chat agency to a platform that now integrates large‑language models, emphasizing the...
How to Know When Your Business Is Ready to Scale
Mark Roberge, former HubSpot CRO and author of The Science of Scaling, tells founders they must "earn the right to scale" by proving two sequential fits: product-market fit—measured by customer retention and short-term signals of long-term value—and go-to-market fit—measured by...
Better to Freeze the Body or Just the Brain? #podcast #startup #cryopreservation
The podcast explores whether cryopreserving just the brain, rather than the entire body, is a more rational approach for future mind‑upload or revival technologies. Host and guests discuss the core premise that personal identity, consciousness, and personality are rooted entirely...
The Startup Freezing Humans For Tomorrow - Interview with Dr Emil Kendziorra, CEO of Tomorrow.bio
The EU Startups podcast featured an interview with Dr. Emil Kendziora, CEO of Tomorrow.bio, a European startup that provides cryopreservation services for both humans and pets. The conversation explored the company’s mission, funding, and the broader context of longevity research. Kendziora,...
How This Entrepreneur Turned Hospitality Into a $90 Million Fitness Empire
Adam Shane, a former Wall Street analyst turned fitness entrepreneur, scaled a Bay Area portfolio of Barry’s franchises into a business valued at more than $90 million and later joined Barry’s executive team. After roles at Town Sports International and...
Google Just Broke SEO. Here’s What Replaces It. | Equity Podcast
The Equity Tech Branch podcast spotlights Google’s AI‑driven search overhaul announced at Google I/O, where AI‑generated answers now dominate the SERP. Brands suddenly find their traditional SEO tactics obsolete as conversational agents dictate visibility, prompting a need for “agent‑ready” websites. Matt...
AI Startup Cognition Raises $1 Billion at $26 Billion Value
Cognition announced a $1 billion financing round that lifts its valuation to $26 billion, marking one of the largest AI‑focused raises this year. CEO Scott Bostick highlighted the company’s rapid growth, noting a jump from a few‑million revenue run‑rate in early 2024...
![Jake Miller (Fellow) - Designing Products Around Customer Experience [Entire Talk]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HfjFBGjgegc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Jake Miller (Fellow) - Designing Products Around Customer Experience [Entire Talk]
Jake Miller, founder of Fellow, shared the 13‑year evolution of his coffee‑centric hardware company, from a classroom idea in Stanford’s Launchpad program to a global brand with over 100 employees. He emphasized that building a business starts with genuine enthusiasm...
Christina Wallace on AI and Entrepreneurship
The video features Harvard professor Christina Wallace discussing how AI, especially large‑language‑model agents, is fundamentally reshaping entrepreneurship and creative work. She notes that AI agents enable two‑ or three‑person startups to perform tasks previously requiring fifteen employees, allowing founders to...
Are Music Videos the Future
The episode explores whether music videos represent the next frontier for rock and metal, featuring Ashson, founder and CEO of Samarian Records. Host Arian frames the conversation around the label’s evolution from a hybrid booking‑agency model to a content‑first operation,...
London, There’s a New Pizza in Town and It’s a GOOD ONE…
Short Road Pizza, a London newcomer founded by former marketeer Ugo during lockdown, has rapidly won acclaim for a crisp, hot-pepp–style pizza inspired by his family’s traditional ‘crispy base’ technique. The product features thin, cured dough air-dried for a week...
From Print on Demand to $30 MILLION — The Clothing Brand Model NOBODY Talks About
A 21‑year‑old entrepreneur turned a faceless Instagram page into the clothing label Mentality, generating $200,000 in three hours on Black Friday and scaling to roughly $30 million in revenue. He started with print‑on‑demand (POD) to test designs without inventory, then shifted...
We Quit Our Jobs To Run A Cemetery Business – It Now Brings In $6 Million/Year
Shayda Frost and Timothy Amoui unexpectedly inherited a family-owned cemetery operation and turned it into a modern, multi-site business that now generates over $6 million a year across Lincoln Cemetery, Monte Vista, Washington Memorial Gardens and Dawn Memorial Park. Lacking...
Cerebras CEO on the Future of Data Centres, Token Costs & Memory | Should US Companies Sell to China
Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman joined a discussion on the future of AI‑driven data centres, the ongoing memory crunch, and the strategic implications of U.S.–China relations for semiconductor sales. Feldman warned that data‑centre construction is falling behind demand, leaving a $25 billion backlog...
Rentals | How to Run Residential Maintenance Operations at Scale, with Lula Co-Founder Will...
The podcast spotlights Lula’s effort to modernize residential maintenance, a function that accounts for roughly a third of property‑management expenses yet still runs on texts, emails and spreadsheets. Co‑founder Will Parish explains how Lula transformed a B2C home‑repair app into...
Beyond the Headlines: Exploring the Future of Alternative Proteins with Bruce Friedrich | EP#419
The episode features Bruce Friedrich, founder of the Good Food Institute, discussing his new book Meat and the broader push toward alternative proteins. He frames the conversation around the massive inefficiencies of conventional animal agriculture—feeding 1.4 billion metric tons of crops to...
How Contract Documents Cause Construction Problems and Build a Zero Disputes System with Josh Levy
Josh Levy, a former corporate lawyer turned tech entrepreneur, leads Document Crunch in reshaping construction contract management. The company’s culture‑first approach and a bold “Zero Disputes” vision aim to surface contract risks before they trigger claims. A strategic partnership with...
Women and Investing: How to Start a Business
The Investors Chronicle podcast “Women and Wealth” hosts Felicia Herman, head of investment at challenger bank Monument, to discuss her transition from a senior role at Bailey Gifford to founding an investment platform aimed at democratising access to financial information...
How Gymtrack Raised Its First $750K (Step-by-Step)
Gymtrack’s founders recount how they secured their first $750,000, detailing a step‑by‑step fundraising playbook that began with a modest grant and culminated in a 500 Startups accelerator investment. The team deliberately set a low initial target—about $250,000—leveraging a $50‑$100 k grant that matched...
I Built My Dream Porsche 911 Targa (Full Transformation)
YouTuber and car enthusiast purchased a new 2024 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS paid in cash, selling off previous supercars to refocus on a refined Porsche fleet. He immediately sent the car to custom shops for a full transformation: a...
How to Start an LLC in California in 2026 (Step-by-Step)
Presenter Dan gives a step-by-step walkthrough for forming a California LLC in 2026, covering name selection, trademark and domain checks, and California naming rules (LLC designation required). He explains the mandatory registered agent role, recommends Northwest Registered Agent (basic service...
Leadership & Human Connection in the AI Era. Stever Robbins Interview
The interview with Stever Robbins explores how a nomadic, tech‑savvy upbringing shaped his view on leadership and human connection in today’s AI‑driven economy. Robbins credits early exposure to the Arpanet—accessed at age 11—to his acceptance at MIT and later Harvard Business...
Start a SaaS From $0 in 2026
Rob Walling explains that launching a SaaS in 2026 requires virtually no cash, only strategic focus. He argues the real expense is acquiring paying users, not polishing code, and advises founders to defer formal entities until revenue materializes. He outlines a...
Building a Brand in Midlife: A Conversation with Daphne Oz and Molly Sims | Global Conference 2026
The Global Conference 2026 panel featured Daphne Oz and Molly Sims discussing how to build a brand in midlife. Oz announced her new anti‑doom podcast, The Mothership, while Sims detailed the launch of Wise Beauty, a skincare line aimed at...
Why Is An Agency Owner Making $456,000 Having Trouble Buying A Car In Cash?
The video dissects why a digital‑agency owner pulling $456,000 in revenue still couldn’t buy a car outright. The host explains that most agency owners conflate top‑line revenue with take‑home profit, overlooking that the industry’s average net margin after taxes hovers...
The Secrets to Building a World Class Sales Team
Two veteran sales leaders, Chan Park and Chris Dagnan, argue that even great products fail without effective salespeople and warn against hiring reps from enterprise stalwarts who lack new-logo and pipeline-generation skills. They critique the forward-deployed engineer role as misaligned...
Why Anthropic Are Causing a Comp Crisis & Why You’d Never Hire From Salesforce or ServiceNow
The conversation centers on the paradox of hiring elite salespeople from marquee firms versus building a high‑performing outbound engine, especially for AI‑centric startups like Anthropic. The speakers, veteran sales leaders from Snowflake and other category‑defining companies, argue that a résumé...