Bootstrapped for Cash

Poker isn’t a game of luck... at least not for today’s guest. In this episode, we talk with José Andrés Rodriguez, a software engineer by day and poker player by night (and weekends), who has turned strategy, discipline, and mindset into long-term profitability at the tables. We dive into: 🃏 Why he chose poker over all his other side projects. 🧠 How he prepares mentally and strategically for 10-...

What if aging isn’t inevitable… but a treatable condition? In today’s episode, we sit down with Ildikó Sirman , mother, wife, and CEO of AYUN — the startup pushing the boundaries of longevity and redefining what “healthy life” actually means. Ildi’s story is WILD: From IT customer support… ➡️ to COO of a Swiss unicorn. ➡️ to leading a company on a mission to help people live longer, healthier, hap...

AI is already making decisions in business, art, and science… but what if it ruled us? 🤖👑 In this Halloween special, we asked a group of friends a chilling question: Would you accept an AI as the leader of your country? Their answers might surprise you, and maybe even scare you 😬 💬 What do you think? Should humans stay in charge, or is AI the next step in evolution of politics? 👇 Drop your th...

OpenAI just dropped ChatGPT Atlas, their own browser, and it looks like they’re coming straight for Google Chrome’s throne. In this episode, we’re testing a new video-first format for our AI news segment. Instead of running through a bunch of headlines at lightning speed, we’re zooming in on one major story and unpacking it properly. Will ChatGPT Atlas actually steal Chrome’s market share? What ha...

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of a failed startup? In this episode, Iván visits ⁠Juan Sanz⁠ and both go all-in on the raw, untold story of GouBlue — a carpooling platform born in an MBA classroom, built with passion, code, and a lot of caffeine… and killed by bad timing, team friction, and COVID! 🦠 They talk about: 📱 How having a superior product doesn't guarantee success....

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado qué ocurre realmente entre bastidores en una startup que fracasa? En este episodio, Iván visita a Juan Sanz y ambos se adentran en la cruda y desconocida historia de GouBlue, una plataforma de coche compartido nacida en una clase de MBA, construida con pasión, código y mucha cafeína... ¡y liquidada por el bad timing , las fricciones del equipo y la COVID! 🦠 Juan e Iv...

After the massive response to our last episode, we’re diving even deeper into the next big workforce crisis. Forget automation taking your future job — it’s already taken your first. From internships to entry-level roles, AI is locking Gen Z out of the workforce before they even start. Plus, the latest in AI news — all in Bootstrapped for Cash. 💬 Drop your take in the comments: Can Gen Z survive...

This week, we tried something new. Armed with brand-new microphones, we hit the streets of Como (Italy) and Madrid (Spain) to ask people about a trend that’s been growing since Covid: why are so many of us losing motivation at work, and why is productivity falling across developed countries? But the story doesn’t stop there. Right as motivation dips, a new revolution is hitting: AI is reshaping jo...

What does it take to turn setbacks into success? In this special anniversary episode, our Giorgio shares his journey from struggling in the education system to dropping out of high school and launching his first small business. With the help of our friend Mauro Foresti , we dive into his childhood challenges, lessons learned outside the classroom, and how those experiences shaped his path as an en...

Albania just made history by appointing an AI bot, Diella, as minister to fight corruption. A bold experiment that could inspire other countries, but also raises new risks like prompt injection. In this episode, we dive into this milestone, explore the latest AI news, and share our usual product updates. 👉 If you enjoy our content, don’t forget to follow, rate, and share the podcast — it helps us...

Microsoft’s VibeVoice was set to change the game! An open-source text-to-speech model that didn’t just rival, but outperformed giants like ElevenLabs and Google. Podcasters, creators, and entire industries saw the future arriving. Then, almost overnight, it was gone. In this episode, we break down what made VibeVoice so revolutionary, why Microsoft pulled it, and what its short-lived existence tel...

In this episode, we sit down with Natalia Rodríguez , who left her corporate career behind to move to Switzerland for love. What started as a leap into the unknown turned into a journey of entrepreneurship, becoming a personal trainer, health coach, natural bodybuilder, and mother. Natalia opens up about balancing life as a solo founder and mother, the lessons learned in starting her own business,...

The mystery is over! The AI world’s most hyped image generation model, Nano-Banana , has finally been revealed… and yes, Google is behind it. In this episode, we break down this expected news along with other big announcements from OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI. We also share our hard-learned lessons after battling the integration of payment (or should we say painment ) providers, Stripe and Pa...

In Part 2 of our Evolution of Coding series, we go deeper with our guests exploring how software development has shifted from the “good old days” to today’s AI-assisted vibe coding era. We tackle big questions like: - What was actually better back then than now? - Is building a product really easier today? - How is AI changing the way we code, and will coding become just a hobby? - Will AI agents...

This week, we sit down with five professional developers (each with decades of experience) to trace the evolution of coding, from old-school MS-DOS and Turbo Pascal to today’s AI-powered “vibe coding” with Cursor. In part one of this two-part episode, we kick things off with a lively Q&A to get to know our guests: - Mauro Foresti: Graduate Electrical Engineer & PhD in Biomechanics (ETH Zur...

OpenAI just dropped GPT-5, the most anticipated AI model in history. But is this the leap to AGI they’ve been promising for years, or just another impressive upgrade? We unpack the announcement, explore what’s new, and ask the big question: how close are we really to artificial general intelligence? We also cover other AI news, share updates on our products and, as always, we’d love to hear from y...

This week we’re joined by Anastasiia Yuvchyk , Marketing Manager at the Swiss start-up FOUND , to talk about why so much startup marketing just doesn’t work, and what to do about it. Anastasiia shares her powerful journey, from leaving Ukraine at the outbreak of war to rebuilding her life and career in Switzerland. We dive into the basics of marketing for beginners, personal branding tips, and how...

This week in AI mayhem: Anthropic lets Claude manage its first business, a vending machine startup, and it promptly goes bankrupt. Meanwhile, Grok 4, which is being hyped as AGI, drops just days after Grok 3 went rogue on X, posting praise for Hitler and insults aimed at Erdoğan. All that, plus our latest product updates, this week on Bootstrapped for Cash . Enjoy the show? Leave us 5 stars or dro...

We continue our chat with two expert guests: - ⁠ Mauro Foresti ⁠ , PhD in biomechanics from ETH Zurich and now Chief Architect in the financial industry. - Juan Sanz ⁠⁠ , Solutions Architect specialized in Machine Learning at a major Big Tech company. In this episode, we wonder: - What happens when AI takes over all of our jobs, and we have too much time on our hands? - How does our economy collap...

This week, we dive deep into the future of artificial intelligence with two expert guests: - Mauro Foresti , PhD in biomechanics from ETH Zurich and now Chief Architect in the financial industry. - Juan Sanz , Solutions Architect specialized in Machine Learning at a major Big Tech company. Together, we explore: - Can AI be truly creative? - Is critical thinking at risk in an AI-driven world? - Wha...

We’re excited to share that we’ve entered the content creator space, helping creators grow their audience and make more money. Oh, and we’re also building four other products, posting on social media, and releasing this weekly podcast. All without hiring Soham Parekh 😉 Plus, we bring you the latest in AI news: Meta is poaching AI researchers like there’s no tomorrow, and Elon Musk wants to rewrit...

This week, we're back with the latest AI news from last week, and the big headline is Apple reportedly eyeing a deal to acquire Perplexity. Meta already tried (and failed), so now Mark Zuckerberg is on a new mission: to lure every AI expert out there with fat paychecks. We also share updates on our own product journey, including tools we're testing to improve our video content and AI-power...

Mattel — the company behind Barbie and Hot Wheels — just announced a partnership with OpenAI to bring artificial intelligence into children’s toys. But what’s the tradeoff? In this episode, Giorgio and Iván dive into the hidden risks of letting AI influence how kids learn, play, and grow — plus a roundup of this week’s biggest AI news from OpenAI, Meta, and more. Links: Collaboration with Mattel:...

Apple just released a paper called "The Illusion of Thinking", taking direct aim at AI models from Anthropic, DeepSeek, and OpenAI. Are they raising valid concerns—or just making a desperate move as they fall behind in the AI race? In this episode, we unpack Apple’s latest hot take and why it might be more defensive than disruptive. Links: Apple's paper: https://machinelearning.apple...

In this episode, we’re joined by Rodrigo Sañudo , who walked away from a six-figure salary in Switzerland, packed everything he could into a backpack, and set off to travel the world. He talks about leaving the corporate grind, becoming a full-time indie hacker, and how he built a successful niche business — making countdowns, of all things. If you’re into stories about taking risks and building y...