The Founder Initiative

Will, Founder of Phonely, shares his raw journey into Y Combinator—including sleeping in his car before a 3AM interview. He reveals how founders should interpret investor rejections, the real path to product-market fit, and top lessons a long the way. A must-listen for anyone navigating the early-stage PMF journey or g

EPISODE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE What really matters when applying to YC? How to get your first $1 top learnings from fundraising FOUNDER PROFILE: Brooke Hopkins https://www.linkedin.com/in/bnhop/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here:

How do you close $100M from VCs like a16z & Sequoia? Nic shared what he did and his most shocking learnings. FOUNDER PROFILE: Nic Kopp https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-kopp/ 🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtab

SUMMARY In this episode, Gil shares the raw journey of building Metadata — from validating the idea through consulting, to nearly running out of cash, to eventually raising a $35M+ Series B. He explains how doubling prices unlocked product-market fit, why retention beats new logos, and how adopting AI transformed the c

Teddy, founder of Fizz, shares how a side project at Stanford exploded into one of the fastest-growing Gen Z social platforms. From rejecting VC money at first to eventually raising $40M, Teddy explains how focusing on students’ needs fueled growth. This episode dives into product-market fit, the power of community lau

What's do VCs ask during a pitch conversation? Here's a real pitch in San Francisco with a $25B AUM VC. This is unscripted and it's the first time they met. NEA Partner: Andrew Schoen https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewaschoen/ YC Founder: Berni Hausleitner https://www.linkedin.com/in/hausleitnerb/