Steve Phillips, CEO of Zappi, breaks down the evolution from a traditional services business to a scalable product company - and what AI means for the future of agencies, consultancies, and insights firms.
He explains why services businesses are “fun to work in but awful to run,” how valuation multiples differ between people-based and product-based models, and why agentic AI systems could reshape the entire industry by making teams exponentially more productive.
👉 Watch the full conversation for why the next generation of agencies will look more like SaaS companies than service providers.
📌 Chapters
00:00 – Building a services vs product business
00:57 – Why services businesses are hard to scale
01:38 – The valuation gap between services and SaaS
02:51 – Why tech companies are valued higher
03:59 – How AI agents will transform service models
04:39 – The future of hybrid teams: humans + AI
05:20 – Why “bread and butter” agency work will disappear
👍 Why subscribe? Real stories and insights from founders and innovators redefining how technology reshapes business models and the future of work.
🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss new episodes 🔔
#AI #Startups #Innovation #BusinessTransformation #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #AgencyLife #FutureOfWork #Automation #ProductStrategy #Zappi
Leo Ubbiali has built AI and data systems at Babylon Health, MoonPay, and Y Combinator. Now he’s the founder of Visum Labs, helping companies use AI and data to drive real business outcomes.
In this episode, Leo explains how the best startups think about data, why most AI projects fail before they start, and what YC taught him about building fast, selling early, and quitting smarter.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(00:51) The AI moment
(02:18) Inside Babylon Health
(04:52) Scaling telehealth
(06:05) MoonPay and the crypto boom
(08:13) Turning data into revenue
(10:09) Pricing and elasticity
(11:14) What data really means
(15:54) YC and the bias for action
(19:17) Sell before you build
(23:14) Stop overthinking
(31:41) Knowing when to quit
(34:12) Metrics that matter
(38:31) Building Visum Labs
(42:39) Why AI projects fail
(49:39) Services vs software
(53:17) The next big AI opportunity
(59:25) Whose advice matters
(01:02:38) What it was all for
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://elevenlabs.io/
👍 Why subscribe?If you build products, lead teams, or care about scaling real businesses with AI, data and ruthless decision making - this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you when new episodes drop 🔔
#startups #AI #data #founders #YC #bootstrapping #consulting #product #fintech #healthtech #quitting
Michael Young, co-founder and CEO of Lindus Health, explains why traditional CROs (Contract Research Organisations) are slowing down medical progress — and how Lindus Health is redesigning the system to make research faster, smarter, and more efficient.He breaks down how the old incentive model keeps costs high and timelines long, why Lindus Health calls itself an “anti-CRO”, and how their integrated platform aligns incentives, automates workflows, and brings a SaaS-style mindset to biotech.👉 Watch the full conversation for how Lindus Health is helping founders build agile, data-driven biotech companies.📌 Chapters00:00 – What CROs actually do01:12 – Why CRO incentives are broken01:58 – How Lindus Health began03:05 – Why they chose not to become a CRO04:37 – The “anti-CRO” model explained05:38 – Selling research as a product06:16 – Making biotech work like SaaS07:59 – The agile future of biotech👍 Why subscribe?Real stories and insights from founders and innovators redefining how science moves faster and how technology is reshaping the future of health.🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss new episodes 🔔#Biotech #Startups #Innovation #HealthTech #LindusHealth #Entrepreneurship #Agile #CRO #MedicalResearch
Steve Phillips is the founder of Zappi - a consumer insight platform used by Pepsi, McDonald’s and Vodafone to test ideas before they launch.Zappi has raised over $170 million to transform market research from a slow, manual service into a scalable, automated product. What started as a simple idea has grown into one of the leading data-driven insight platforms in the world.In this episode, Steve shares how he built a tech company without being technical, the hard lessons from raising venture capital too early, and why he believes simplicity and culture beat complexity and control.As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔Chapters:(00:00) Intro(03:07) The idea that started with a bottle of wine(04:32) Turning a service into software(08:26) Building without being technical(10:10) Finding the right co-founder and merging companies(13:15) Early product decisions that created lasting value(15:23) Building culture and staying close to the team(18:07) Why simplicity scales(19:00) From services to product — and why margins matter(23:00) How AI agents are changing the insights industry(26:48) The painful mistakes: custom code, early investors and burnout(30:10) Raising capital - and what went wrong(33:36) Strategic investors and the VC treadmill(35:33) The difference between VC and PE(38:48) Bringing in a new CEO and finding your zone of genius(42:25) Can you build a business if you’re not “technical”?(43:48) Where restless ambition comes from(47:52) Building an ADHD app with his daughter(50:17) The AI revolution in product creation(55:01) From SaaS to Data-as-a-Service(56:34) Why big companies struggle to use AI(58:53) The next generation of founders(59:30) What it was all for⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://riverside.fm/👍 Why subscribe?If you build products, lead teams, or care about scaling big ideas through tech, data and culture — this channel is for you.🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you when new episodes drop 🔔#startups #AI #data #founders #marketresearch #SaaS
Mahdi Yahya is the founder and CEO of Ori Industries, a company building the infrastructure behind the AI revolution.
From the invisible cables connecting continents to the GPUs driving today’s most advanced models, Mahdi breaks down how the internet really works - and how AI is reshaping the very foundations of computing.
He explains the rise of GPU clouds, the shift from traditional data centres to decentralised infrastructure, and why the future of AI depends on who controls the world’s compute power.
👉 Check out the full episode for the complete conversation.
📌 Chapters
00:00 – How your Instagram like travels the world
00:34 – The unseen cables beneath the ocean
01:08 – What is edge computing?
02:00 – The rise (and fall) of edge infrastructure
02:44 – How AI became the defining use case
03:42 – The GPU Cloud explained
04:40 – Why GPUs became essential for AI
06:09 – Training vs inferencing
07:11 – The global AI compute race
08:31 – The cloud business model powering AI
09:03 – Why faster compute means smarter AI
👍 Why subscribe? Real stories and insights from founders, engineers, and visionaries building the backbone of tomorrow’s technology and redefining how the world connects, computes, and creates.
🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss new episodes 🔔
#AI #GPUs #CloudComputing #EdgeComputing #StartupStories #TechFounders #MachineLearning
Michael Young is the co-founder of Lindus Health and a former Special Advisor to the UK Prime Minister on life sciences.
Lindus has raised $55 million to redesign clinical trials from the ground up - building what Michael calls an “anti CRO” that treats the trial as the product, not a service.In this episode, Michael explains why the real bottleneck in medical progress is the way we test new treatments, how hourly-billed CRO incentives slow everything down, and what a world of real-time, adaptive trials looks like.
He also shares the 10% decisions that created 90% of the value, how to keep investors truly aligned, the hiring trade-offs in a regulated industry, and why founders should resist building a “faster horse” and instead change the paradigm.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(02:24) What went wrong during COVID trials
(03:48) The CRO incentive problem and rising costs
(04:55) What a CRO actually does
(06:05) When overruns get rewarded
(07:02) Founding story, Negronis, and first principles
(08:16) Why “anti CRO” and not just another vendor
(09:29) End-to-end partner: integrated tech and fixed pricing
(11:10) Make biotech feel like SaaS: agile, parallel, fail fast
(14:26) AI discovery vs the clinical bottleneck
(15:59) Picks-and-shovels for the AI-biotech wave
(16:24) Start simple, then scale complexity and customers
(17:58) Choosing customers: digital health vs big pharma
(19:05) Why digital health cooled and what still works
(20:29) The 10% decisions: end-to-end, adaptive trials, geo setup
(21:51) Why start in the UK: trial talent and product hiring
(24:49) The pain points: services + tech and hiring fit
(26:55) Investor alignment and avoiding SaaS-metric traps
(28:41) Running a tight fundraise: time-boxing and intros
(31:11) Updates, boards, and radical transparency
(32:46) Growth can hide sins: product and ops complexity
(34:04) If you were the VC, what would you ask
(34:55) 10-year vision: more biotechs, more adaptive trials
(35:58) Mental health
(36:56) Ethics of speed and shutting down weak arms early
(37:30) Don’t build a faster horse: change the trial paradigm
(39:02) Big bet inspiration: Palantir, Anduril, Wave
(40:18) Switching off
(47:45) What was it all for
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://attio.com/
👍 Why subscribe?
If you build products, care about evidence, and want the operator’s view on scaling hard things in health and tech, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#Biotech #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech
Steve Peralta is the co-founder of Unmind, a leading workplace mental health platform valued at over $130 million, used by global organisations including Uber, Major League Baseball, and British Airways.
Steve opens up about an unexpected period in his life. What began as a sudden feeling of complete disconnection led to months of mental and physical struggle ultimately reshaping how he thinks about wellbeing, balance, and success..
👉 Watch the full episode for the complete conversation.
📌 Chapters
00:00 – The founder who broke down
00:13 – The moment everything changed
01:11 – Out-of-body experiences and panic attacks
02:44 – Searching for answers and uncovering toxicity
03:20 – What happens when your body can’t detox
05:07 – Health anxiety and losing control
05:30 – Reconnecting through nature and stillness
05:53 – Redefining wellness and balance
06:49 – Journaling, mindfulness, and reflection
07:20 – Writing his own eulogy to rediscover purpose
👍 Why subscribe?
Real stories from founders, creators, and thinkers who’ve hit breaking point - and what they learned rebuilding themselves from the inside out.
🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss new episodes 🔔
#founders #burnout #resilience
Mahdi Yahya is the founder of Ori, the operating system for AI factories - building the invisible layer between artificial intelligence and the physical world.
With over 20 years in data centres and internet infrastructure, Mahdi explains how the “content internet” is evolving into the AI internet, why we’re building GPU megaclusters on land and underwater, and how compute itself is becoming modular, sovereign, and global.
He also shares the lessons learned from scaling Ori, the people decisions that defined the company, and why the best founders make time to think instead of rushing for growth.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(01:20) What’s changing under the internet’s surface
(02:25) From the “content internet” to the AI internet
(03:17) Supercomputers at unprecedented scale
(05:28) Power math: kW → MW → GW
(06:39) Mahdi’s path: data centres → theatre → storytelling
(08:35) Filmmakers, craft & learning to see
(11:01) Founding Ori: the connective tissue between apps & compute
(12:42) Edge computing, CDNs, and why “edge” stalled
(15:34) Betting on AI: training vs. inference, why it stuck
(17:31) Why GPUs (really): parallelism & accelerated compute
(20:24) GPU clouds: CapEx vs. OpEx for AI
(22:41) What buyers actually need beyond “just GPUs”
(25:34) Rethinking cloud for AI engineers
(27:21) Modular cloud & sovereignty
(31:55) NVIDIA’s lead, diversification & what’s next
(34:55) Where the compute lives today (US → global)
(36:13) Privacy, on-prem, and protecting interaction data
(39:40) The 10% decisions
(42:03) People bets, healthy disagreement & vision custody
(47:51) Slow down to think: resisting the growth trap
(50:27) Deep tech realities
(52:28) “What was it all for?”
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://claude.ai
👍 Why subscribe? If you sketch product ideas on napkins, obsess over infrastructure choices, or dream of building humane, high-performance teams, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#gpu #mahdiyaya #techpodcast
In this clip, Kevin Costa, founder of Belief Capital, shares why most venture capital funds don’t actually serve founders, how incentive structures create misalignment, and why the future belongs to small, technical teams building at speed.
He also explains the opportunity he sees in backing undiscovered talent outside the usual Stanford/Silicon Valley bubble - where some of the most exciting founders of the next decade will come from.
👉 Enjoyed this? Watch the full episode for the complete conversation.
📌 Chapters
00:00 – Are founders building two businesses?
01:15 – Why most VC returns are concentrated
02:30 – The incentive alignment problem in venture
03:20 – Why Kevin started Belief Capital
03:50 – Why the best founders are young and technical
05:15 – The power of small, lean teams
06:20 – Talent is everywhere, but capital isn’t
07:10 – The opportunity in “underpriced” talent
08:00 – Why the next unicorn might not come from Stanford
👍 Why subscribe? If you’re building a startup, thinking about raising capital, or just want a front-row seat to how the next generation of founders will change the world, this channel is for you.
🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss new episodes 🔔
#venturecapital #BeliefCapital #founders #startups #entrepreneurship
At 19, Erifili Gunari built Z-Link, a Gen Z-led agency helping brands like Pepsi, IKEA, and the United Nations actually talk to young people 🚀
In this episode of Founders and Builders, Erifili shares how to start before you feel “ready,” turn cold outreach into major press, and use intuition (not permission) to build a life you actually want.
We dig into Gen Z behaviors, UGC that performs, and why inbound beats outbound when you’re authentic online.
As always, if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:59) Why waiting to be “ready” holds you back
(01:26) Starting Z-Link at 19: no funding, no playbook
(02:50) Spotting the Gen Z agency gap
(04:43) What really defines Gen Z (global nuances)
(07:00) From brands → people: authenticity and trust
(08:49) Increase your surface area for serendipity
(10:02) Month 1–12: press hacks that drove inbound
(13:53) The cold DM template that got journalists to reply
(16:58) Building an inbound magnet with personal brand
(18:57) Ideal clients: why “vibe check” beats industry
(19:44) ⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week
(20:24) UGC 101: why “real” converts
(22:06) Smart UGC collabs: Hinge x Substack writers
(23:46) Performance UGC & giving creators freedom
(24:54) Scaling UGC: in-house vs. specialist partners
(26:20) Repurposing content across platforms (when & how)
(28:02) Testing, then boosting: TikTok as the proving ground
(29:28) Crystal Clear: starting a blog that resonates
(31:58) The theme: distilling complexity into clarity
(33:22) Stop outsourcing decisions: trusting yourself
(37:30) Intuition vs anxiety: how to tell the difference
(41:42) Body signals, big choices, and living your own life
(45:36) Getting unstuck: engineer inspiration & momentum
(48:28) Find your inspiration triggers (journaling, fitness, space)
(49:47) Make it fun: environments that fuel focus
(50:56) 30 years from now: what was it all for?
⭐ Listeners Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://superpower.com/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product-market fit, or dream of building with creators and community, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#GenZ #Marketing #UGC #Startups #Founders #Entrepreneurship
Steve is the co-founder of Unmind, a workplace mental-health platform that’s raised $80M and scaled to serve companies worldwide.
With a background as both a musician and entrepreneur, he’s now helping leaders design cultures where wellbeing and performance go hand in hand.
In this episode Steve opens up about the morning his life short-circuited, the five-month breakdown that followed, and what it really takes to build a company without breaking.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:59) The morning everything changed
(03:01) “Not burnout — a full systems breakdown”
(04:30) From musician to startup founder
(06:37) Identity vs. the role: Who is Steve beyond “co-founder”?
(07:23) Panic, A&E visits, and derealisation
(09:54) Heavy metals, genetics & detox pathways
(12:14) Healing: nature, rest, and reconnecting
(13:23) Foundations: sleep, movement, journaling, morning pages
(14:29) The eulogy exercise & values work
(16:16) Play, inner child, and curiosity over comparison
(18:25) “Not a machine”: Taylorism and the modern workplace
(21:09) The two strands that led to Unmind
(24:18) Toxic leadership, real costs & the spark to act
(26:25) Meeting Nick Taylor and spotting the gap
(27:41) Launching Unmind: proactive, stigma-breaking mental health
(28:35) Mission vs. growth capital: naming the tension
(29:52) Culture quadrants: clan, market, hierarchy, adhocracy
(33:41) Polarity mapping: results & wellbeing as co-KPIs
(35:12) Trust, visibility & psychological safety from leadership
(37:00) Evidence: leadership wellbeing drives performance
(38:15) Coaching founders: reconnecting to humanity
(39:31) Escaping comparison; widening your sources of meaning
(40:38) Steve’s sacred place: the woods and the tree
(42:12) “What was it all for?” — honoring life
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: Granola (AI meeting notes) - https://www.granola.ai/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product-market fit, or dream of building humane, high-performance teams, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#Startups #Founders #MentalHealth
At 21, Kevin Costa bet his own savings on overlooked founders 🚀That blueprint became Belief Capital, a $20M fund backing young technical teams before the world notices.
In this episode of Founders and Builders, Kevin reveals how to spot the next iconic founders, why the future belongs to disagreeable builders, and where the most undervalued talent is hiding.
As always, if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like and subscribe 🔔
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:59) Kevin’s path into startups and investing
(03:51) The blueprint for Belief Capital
(04:51) Why founders need peer VCs they can trust
(06:48) Institutional vs. peer capital explained
(07:54) Why the future belongs to young technical founders
(09:49) Talent is global but capital isn’t
(13:48) Backing underdog founders: Zilin’s story
(15:46) Raising your first round - how to think about it
(21:26) What Kevin looks for in great founders
(24:56) Why disagreeability and strong worldviews matter
(36:59) Legacy, family, and the meaning of it all
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://superpower.com/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#Startups #VentureCapital #Founders #Entrepreneurship
Is AI really that powerful? Short answer: yes. Long answer: watch this.
In this clip, Dev explains how spotting AI’s real superpower - pattern recognition - led to the creation of NPLAN, an AI company transforming how mega-projects get delivered.
What You’ll Learn 👇
1. Why most people underestimated AI back in 2016
2. The real superpower of AI: pattern recognition at scale
3. How “unlimited experience” could change entire industries
4. The insight that sparked the creation of NPLAN
👉 If you enjoyed this, check out the full episode for the complete conversation.
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://www.granola.ai/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#constructionai #devamratia #nplan #foundersandbuilders
In this clip, Dev Amratia, co-founder and CEO of NPLAN, breaks down why traditional pricing models don’t capture true value and shares his vision for a future built on ‘bounty pricing.’
👉 If you enjoyed this, check out the full episode for the complete conversation.
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://www.granola.ai/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#constructionai #devamratia #nplan #foundersandbuilders
“If you build billion-dollar projects on gut feel, you’ll burn billions.”
In this episode, Dev Amarati, co-founder of Nplan - explains how AI trained on hundreds of thousands of construction schedules can finally fix why mega-projects run late and over budget.
From Shell and Crossrail to grids, hospitals, and railways, Dev breaks down the human biases that wreck timelines and how Nplan’s AI (yes, the assistant’s called Barry) helps teams decide faster, de-risk earlier, and unlock capital for critical infrastructure.
What You Will Learn! 👇
1. Why humans are bad at forecasting (availability, optimism, salience) and how that snowballs into 40–100% delays
2. The Shell story: when uncertainty ruins billion-dollar decisions
3. Nplan’s origin: 200+ interviews, The Mom Test, and the data everyone said “you’ll never get”
4.. Pattern recognition at scale: what AI actually does for construction
5. Replacing the services layer: the painful product decision that unlocked scale
6. Pricing the unpriceable: toward “bounty” pricing tied to value created
7. Public infrastructure focus: why Nplan chose the hardest buyers - and won
8. The 10-year view: de-facto risk standard for the built world + more bankable projects
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Introduction
(10:01) Seeking Allies and Valuable Insights
(13:28) Caring and Valuable Insights in Business
(22:28) Reducing Uncertainty to Drive Decision-Making
(30:50) Building a Successful Software Product
(42:50) Innovative Pricing Models for Consulting
(48:56) Legacy of Inspiration and Industry
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://www.granola.ai/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#constructionai #devamratia #nplan #foundersandbuilders
In this clip, Stephen Whitworth, co-founder of incident.io shares the two biggest decisions that shaped the company’s success - and the hardest challenge every founder eventually faces.
He talks about building a revenue-focused product team, ruthlessly dogfooding their own platform, and why hiring remains the most irreducibly complex part of scaling a startup.
👉 If you enjoyed this, check out the full episode for the complete conversation.
⭐ Listener Suggestion – Software of the Week: https://elevenlabs.io/
👤 About StephenStephen Whitworth is the co-founder and CEO of incident.io, a platform that helps teams manage incidents with speed and clarity.
A former engineer at Monzo, he’s passionate about customer-centric product building, scaling teams, and solving complex problems through culture and technology.
👍 Why subscribe?
If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product-market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#foundersandbuilders #incidentio #startupgrowth
Stephen Whitworth is the co-founder & CEO of Incident, the company building the emergency response layer for the internet. Before Incident, he saw the cracks firsthand at Monzo - the outages, the midnight firefighting, the broken playbooks.
Now, backed by investors like Index, Insight Partners, and Point Nine with $96M raised, Stephen and his team are re-wiring how the world responds when the systems we all rely on suddenly fail.
🔍 What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
- Why the biggest opportunities often hide inside the biggest problems.
- How to validate a high-stakes startup idea when there’s no playbook.
- The mindset shift from firefighting problems to designing solutions.
- Lessons from raising $96M: what actually matters to top-tier investors.
- Why founders should obsess less about “being ready” and more about moving fast.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
(00:01) Building a $10 Billion Company
(11:54) Early Days of Starting a Business
(20:49) Customer Success and Product Growth
(29:08) Customer-Centric Product Development Success
(36:51) Leveraging Internal Product Use for Growth
(43:49) Navigating Board Involvement and Decision-Making
(48:39) Managing Growth and Investment Strategy
(54:21) Venture Capital and International Expansion
(01:00:00) Building a Global Business From Scratch
(01:07:15) Motivation in Building Large Companies
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://elevenlabs.io/
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#stephenwhitworth #incidentio #foundersandbuilders
In this clip, Pinstripe Chris reflects on creativity, discipline, and why life is ultimately about experiences and memories, not just work. He talks about the balance between Rick Rubin’s go-with-the-flow approach and Steven Pressfield’s disciplined mindset, and how both shape his outlook on art and life.👉 If you enjoyed this, check out the full episode for the complete conversation.
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://lovable.dev/
👤 About Chris“Pinstripe Chris” is an automotive artist who’s built a global brand creating one-off masterpieces for brands like Porsche. From collision shops to California, he’s proof that betting on yourself can change everything.
👍 Why subscribe? If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#foundersandbuilders #pinstripechris #automotiveart
“I’ve never had a problem betting on me.” Chris Dunlop (Pinstripe Chris) Chris built a global brand painting one-off masterpieces for companies like Porsche without art school, safety nets, or a plan B.
🔍 What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
- Why the boldest investment you can make is in yourself.
- The hidden process behind Pinstripe Chris’s “overnight success.”
- How to build creative freedom instead of getting stuck chasing paychecks.
- The mindset shift that turns mistakes into signatures.
- Why the “perfect time” to start never comes - and why that’s your advantage.
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
(00:02) From Collision Shops to Masterpieces
(03:29) From Auto Shops to Artistry
(13:09) Finding Success Through Social Media
(22:44) Thriving in Car Culture Industry
(28:02) Embracing Risk and Rejecting Structure
(36:36) The Artistic Journey
(43:30) Navigating Artistic Freedom and Risk
(53:49) Reflecting on Career Satisfaction and Growth
(57:14) Navigating Opportunities and Self-Promotion
(01:02:42) Artistic Process and Social Media Marketing
(01:13:27) Life Lessons Through Artistic Process
(01:18:37) Balancing Creativity and Discipline
⭐ Listeners Suggestion - Software of the Week: https://lovable.dev/
👤 About Chris“Pinstripe Chris” is an automotive artist who’s built a global brand creating one-off masterpieces for brands like Porsche. From collision shops to California, he’s proof that betting on yourself can change everything.
👍 Why subscribe?If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you.
🔔 Tap the bell so YouTube tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
#foundersandbuilders #pinstripechris #automotiveart
🚀 “Entire software categories are up for grabs.”
Investor Akash Bajwa explains why the next wave of AI‑native startups will rewrite today’s playbooks and how first‑time founders can ride it.
What you’ll learn
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Intro
5:23 What “AI‑native” really means
10:34 Designing lean, taste‑driven teams
20:30 The vertical stack playbook
26:29 Evals as the hidden moat
34:57 Agents 101 and the Model Context Protocol
39:47 Micro‑payments, macro impact
45:22 2035 outlook for founders
56:41 Hiring, culture, and rebellious opinions
1:04:15 Rapid‑fire takeaways
Why subscribe? If you sketch business ideas on napkins, obsess over product‑market fit, or dream of disrupting incumbents with AI, this channel is for you. 🔔 Hit subscribe so Spotify tells you the moment new episodes drop 🔔
Keywords: AI startup, entrepreneur tips, venture capital, SaaS, Earlybird Venture Capital, Akash Bajwa interview, AI‑native products, vertical integration, talent density, autonomous agents, evals, Founders and Builders podcast, build with AI, startup playbook, how to start a tech company, seed fundraising, product strategy, software innovation.#AI #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Software #VentureCapital
