Pratik Karki

Life on Hard Mode with Pratik Karki

Technology EN ↓ 5 episodes

What does it take to play life on Hard Mode and keep going? I grew up in Nepal, made it to Big Tech, and now build at the frontier of AI in Silicon Valley. Each week, I share what I’m learning about startups, research, and resilience. No BS, no fluff. Real conversations about doing hard things, failing forward, and finding meaning in the struggle. pratikkarki.substack.com

Author

Pratik Karki

Episodes

Life on Hard Mode #5 - The Financial Stack: From Debt to Founder 12.12.2025 32:50

Ramen Profitability: My Personal Journey DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified financial planner, so take my advice with a grain of salt. But I am someone who had to figure this out with zero safety net, with no prior knowledge. As they say, “Doing it yourself beats reading about it in a book 100% of the time.” When I started at Google in 2021, I was $22,500 in debt. I was on a visa, meaning if I lost...

Life on Hard Mode #4 - How VC Math Works, No Cap 05.12.2025 36:24

Explain Like I’m Five: WTF are Venture Capital Firms? Earlier in 2025, I had the opportunity to present on raising capital to a few universities in the Bay Area and Southern California. It was an incredible experience because they were wide-eyed, curious economics/business students who really leaned into the lecture. Find the full slides that I presented over in this Google Drive .I literally knew...

Life on Hard Mode #3 - Thankfulness and Looking Ahead 29.11.2025 28:43

“A hungry mouth is not dissuaded by a moustache” - Nepali proverb Friday Positivity: Top Things I’m Thankful For This Year * Eternally thankful to my wife and family for supporting me all throughout the process * Thankful for my co-founder and team at Anthromind * Thankful for my mentors, friends, and YOU for tuning in to this podcast, which I’m trying to get better at every week * I’m thankful fo...

Life on Hard Mode #2 - How to Get into Big Tech 21.11.2025 41:52

Life on Hard Mode # 2 - How to Get into Big Tech There is a saying: “Don’t be afraid of the man who can do 10,000 different karate moves. Be afraid of the person who has done the same move 10,000 times.” From 2016 to the present, I’ve probably interviewed at hundreds, if not thousands, of companies. I also interviewed quite a few folks, too. But I started pretty modestly. Here are my lowlights fro...

Life on Hard Mode #1 - Pilot 14.11.2025 56:47

Why did I start a podcast? I started this podcast because I wanted a place to speak honestly about the work I am doing, the ideas I care about, and the challenges that come with building Anthromind. My inbox has been full of questions about careers, AI, visas, startups, and life choices. I cannot give everyone long personal replies (trust me, I tried), but I can share what I am learning in a forma...