The Startup Line

In this episode, I sit down with Mackenzie and Nolan , a couple and former bankers who decided to leave finance after running into a problem they couldn’t ignore. Long hours, no time to eat, and a daily habit of grabbing protein bars that claimed to be “healthy” — but didn’t feel that way. When Mackenzie started experiencing constant bloating, they took a closer look at what was actually inside th...

In this episode, I sit down with Saba , co-founder of Tiny Dinner — a global, invite-only dinner party community redefining what real-world connection looks like. We talk about the art of hosting in your home, building trust-first micro communities, and why “friends of friends” is the most powerful social graph of all. Saba shares how Tiny Dinner grew from intimate NYC gatherings into a global, va...

Tejpal Singh, co-founder of OpenBlock Labs , is building the infrastructure layer for the on-chain world. In this episode, we dive into how OpenBlock reached the #1 spot on Terminal Bench, the vision behind their OB-1 agent, and what it takes to pioneer AI-powered research tools for developers. We talk about what it means to build in public, why speed matters more than perfection, and how the next...

Andrea never planned to build a healthcare company. But after years of struggling with endometriosis and realizing just how reactive and fragmented the women’s health system is, she felt compelled to take action. While at Harvard Business School, Andrea founded Lyv Health — a female-focused longevity platform designed to help women get to the root cause of their symptoms, access preventive care, a...

Ethan’s story is one of reinvention. Born in Queens and raised in New York, he began his career in corporate finance before taking the leap into startups—becoming CFO of a crypto gaming company by his late twenties. But the grind came with a cost: by October 2023 he was 85 pounds heavier and pre-diabetic. A small moment—struggling to tie his shoes on a Manhattan sidewalk—became the wake-up call th...

In this episode of The Startup Line , I sit down with Victoria Ho, Co-Founder of Khalo , a modern food brand reimagining Ayurveda and gut health for today’s kitchens. What began as a personal journey of healing and connection has grown into a company bringing ancient traditions into modern homes through spice blends and cooking bases. Victoria shares how she went from studying English literature a...

In this episode of The Startup Line , I sit down with Alisha, co-founder and CCO of Self-Serve , an AI-powered front desk platform transforming the hospitality experience. What began as late-night conversations with friends about hotel frustrations has grown into a fast-scaling startup now in beta testing with boutique luxury hotels. Alisha shares how she and her co-founders—friends from high scho...

Mehul always knew he wanted to be a founder. Instead of taking the safe route into big tech, he teamed up with his sister to launch Koyal.ai — an AI platform turning audio into video and unlocking a new way for creators to share stories. What started as a bold idea has already caught the attention of Grammy award–winning artists in India and is pushing the boundaries of what content creation can l...

Patrick Samy didn’t always know he’d end up in health tech. He started his career at Skype, co-founded Span Health to tackle preventative health, and scaled it to an acquisition by Eight Sleep. But after selling his first company, Patrick knew he wasn’t done building. In this episode, we dive into his journey from engineer to founder, what he learned about finding product–market fit the hard way,...

What happens when a third-culture kid with a global palate reimagines the snacks of his childhood? For Kartik Das, the answer is Doosra —bold, joy-packed Indian flavors with an unexpected twist. In this episode, we dive into the layers behind the name (“Doosra” means different, second, and—if you’re a cricket fan—a curveball), how Kartik blends nostalgic Indian spices with sweet indulgent elements...

Siddharth and Vignesh didn’t set out to build a robotics company—but over dumplings in San Francisco, they decided to apply to Y Combinator and figure it out along the way. In this episode, we hear how Pivot Robotics went from vague ideas and dusty factory visits to landing a pilot contract off a 3D render. We talk about navigating pivots, selling into legacy industries, raising money without over...