The Founder`s Code

In this conversation, Kendall opens up about her journey in the art industry - from curating massive shows to raising $6M for her startup. She reveals the challenges artists face in selling their work and the mission behind her platform, Cohart. She emphasizes the power of community, storytelling, and the impact of digital trends like NFTs on art collecting. Kendall also shares candid insights on...

From being signed by Interscope Records and working with 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, and Kylie Minogue… to hitting rock bottom and rebuilding from scratch - John Fontein’s story is wild. In this episode, we unpack how he walked away from a life that looked like success… and built one that felt like success. He went from: Writing multi-platinum hits in Japan Secretly running a record label while working...

In this conversation, Mada Seghete shares her journey from a failed startup to building Upside, a platform focused on revenue intelligence for B2B brands. She discusses the importance of understanding what drives revenue, the challenges of belonging and imposter syndrome, and the significance of building community. Mada reflects on her experiences in education, the entrepreneurial spirit, and the...

Kevin Coleman has no plan to sell. Instead, he’s all in on making Ravenna the most consequential company in Seattle - starting with a $15M seed round. In this engaging birthday episode, Kevin Coleman, co-founder of Ravenna, shares insights into the startup landscape, the importance of effective communication, and the balance between family life and entrepreneurship. He discusses the challenges of...

Is the American Dream still alive in the age of AI? In this episode of The Founder's Code, Raghu Gollamudi shares his journey from Chennai to Microsoft to building Included.ai - a platform using AI to give companies real insight into their workforce. We talk about the early spark behind his pre-Tinder app Mingles , the pivot that followed George Floyd’s murder, and why he nearly gave up in yea...

In this episode of the Founder`s Code podcast, host Shamil Malachiyev interviews Brendan Severin, founder of Conductor Quantum . They discuss the future of quantum computing, the importance of AI in enhancing quantum capabilities, and the entrepreneurial journey that shaped Brendan's vision . The conversation delves into the significance of resilience, communication, and attention to detail in...

This morning I sat down with Matt Oxley - co-founder of Opal, Managing Director at US Expansion Partners, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Smedvig Ventures. No filters. No masks. Just two founders trading real stories: • Building confidence while failing in public • Why work ethic only matters if you know your WHY • Betting his life savings on Opal and moving to Portland • Scaling with Madrona &am...

What if Earth can no longer support the future of AI? In this episode of The Founder's Code, I speak with Philip Johnston , founder and CEO of StarCloud - a startup building data centers in space. Philip isn’t just another founder. He’s building infrastructure for a post-terrestrial future, where compute is moved into orbit to escape Earth’s growing energy bottlenecks. We talk about space infr...

Dave Hersh built Jive Software from scratch to a $200M IPO. Backed by Sequoia. Listed on NASDAQ. On paper, he won the startup game. But what came after? Identity collapse. Burnout. Depression. And eventually - a complete reinvention of what it means to lead. In this conversation, Dave opens up about: The hidden trauma behind startup success Grieving the “old self” after an exit The real reason mos...

What really happened in DocuSign’s early years—and how close did it come to failing? In this episode, I sit down with Court Lorenzini , the founding CEO of DocuSign, for a raw and revealing conversation about the early days of one of the world’s most iconic SaaS companies. We talk about: Growing up around the original builders of Silicon Valley Starting out as a janitor in his father's company...