FN Podcast

Most investors bet on ideas. Eric Berry's investors bet on the team, and thought the idea was wrong. In this episode, Eric Berry, founder of TripleLift and co-founder of Averin , shares the unfiltered story behind one of ad tech's most unlikely exits. From pivoting seven times in an accelerator to building a $1.4B company with just $17M raised, Eric breaks down what it actually takes to back yours...

AI has made it easier than ever to build a product. So what actually matters now? In this episode, Guy Yalif, co-founder of Intellimize (acquired by Webflow) and former marketing leader at Twitter and Yahoo, breaks down what really drives durable growth in today’s environment. We cover: Why product is no longer a sustainable moat What actually is defensible: brand, distribution, data, and switchin...

Most founders are told to go all in. But what happens when your identity becomes your company? In this episode, Chip Conley, founder of a hotel hospitality group and mentor to Airbnb’s CEO, shares the realities most founders don’t talk about. We cover: Why tying your identity to your start-up can be dangerous The emotional toll of building, and what happens when things fall apart Lessons from ment...

From a middle-class childhood in central Missouri to building one of the most important “glue” products on the internet, this conversation tracks the real Zapier origin story: the unglamorous early days, the “plus one” pain that sparked the idea, and the long, steady compounding effect of integrations. We talk about what it actually took to get momentum (credibility, distribution, and relentless c...