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The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
The Founder's Foyer
59 episodes
6 days ago
The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok is full of hallway conversations—the space where early-stage founders, builders, and creators look for all the foundational concepts and support to grow their ideas into products. Follow this show for all things Product, Ideas, Growth.
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The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok is full of hallway conversations—the space where early-stage founders, builders, and creators look for all the foundational concepts and support to grow their ideas into products. Follow this show for all things Product, Ideas, Growth.
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Technology
Episodes (20/59)
The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#59 We’re Not Vibe Coding: We’re Building Real AI Products ft. Nicholas Charriere, Founder & CEO of Mocha

In this episode of The Founder’s Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok, join Nicholas Charriere, Founder & CEO of Mocha, and discover how Mocha is democratising product creation enabling anyone, regardless of coding experience, to build functional apps.

Nicholas shares Mocha’s mission to empower the 99%, the transformative role of AI in app development, their unique vertically integrated approach, and the future of product building.

You’ll also learn about Mocha’s viral launch, innovative marketing strategies, and insights into the evolving economics of AI tools.

Timestamps:


 00:00 – Intro
 00:55 – Welcome to Founder’s Foyer
 01:10 – Why Mocha Was Started and How It’s Useful for People
 07:33 – How to Build a Product for an Audience Who Doesn’t Know How to Explain Things
 12:05 – A Customer Who Built a Business with Mocha
 18:50 – Why “Easy” Features Like Payments Are Harder Than They Look
 27:56 – AI Unlocks New Ways to Help Small Businesses
 31:20 – AI Pricing Is Broken, And It’s On Purpose



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1 month ago
49 minutes 57 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#58 Why should founders treat AI like a teammate? | Claire Vo, Founder of ChatPRD.ai

In this episode of The Founder's Foyers Podcast, Claire joins us to talk about building with AI, vibe coding, and the future of product creation.

We cover everything from AI tools that speed up coding to why product fundamentals never change. Claire shares how solo founders, startups, and even large organisations can use AI to move faster and why ignoring AI could make you unemployable in just a couple of years.

Highlights include:

1. What vibe coding really means for non-technical builders

2. Why AI-powered tools are changing how products are made

3. How leaders can push teams to adopt AI without fear

4. Claire’s take on employability in the next 24 months

5. Building in public, product intuition, and speed over perfection

6. Why “fast beats right” — and how AI makes fast easier

This episode is full of practical insights, founder lessons, and future-facing advice for anyone building in tech today.


00:00 - Intro

01:08 – Welcome to The Founder's Foyer

04:10 – What actually is vibe coding

09:26 – Adaptation of AI with Product Managers & working people

11:08 – The difference between leading teams and building solo

13:38 – Why Claire pushed AI early in workplaces

17:53 – Exploring AI tools like Cursor and Devin

33:08 – Building in public and shaping AI products

46:28 – The future of small AI-powered teams

48:28 – Final thoughts and key takeaways



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2 months ago
45 minutes 52 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#57 Adaptability and Human Skills in the AI Era ft. Nita Singh Kaushal (Stanford & NSK Leadership)

Nita Singh Kaushal, in conversation with host Aishwarya Ashok, explores how leaders and professionals can thrive in the age of AI. She emphasizes that adaptability and curiosity now matter more than fixed expertise, and that leadership is no longer about simply knowing—it’s about navigating uncertainty with clarity and vision.


While AI can accelerate output and even draft brilliant plans, it is ultimately humans who build belief, create meaning, and inspire action. Nita highlights why the real edge lies in sensemaking, communication, and trust, and how storytelling and collaboration keep us grounded in a world flooded with instant output. At its core, this conversation is a reminder that the best leaders embrace curiosity over certainty and see AI not as competition, but as a powerful companion to human judgment and values.


Timestamp

00:00 – Intro  

01:12  -  Welcome to The Founder's Foyer Podcast 

04:18 – From Knowing to Navigating: How Do We Adapt in the Age of AI?  

16:43 – Why AI Can’t Replace Humans and How It Supports Leadership  

29:35 – Who Are We Really Building Products For?  

30:04 – Designing AI Products with Human Emotions in Mind  

33:52 – Beyond Workflows: How AI Can Help People See Themselves Differently in Their Roles  

41:54 – Challenges of Bringing AGI into Practice & Power Dynamics of AI  

50:10 – AI as a Companion, Not a Crutch  

55:00 – Final Takeaways  


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2 months ago
56 minutes 1 second

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#56 Why Startups Might Never Look the Same Again | Satyajeet Salgar, Google Applied AI Lead

In this episode of The Founder's Foyer, Aishwarya speaks with Satyajeet Salgar, product leader at Google and former head of YouTube Shopping and Google Search. They explore how AI is reshaping the future of product development, startups, and solo entrepreneurship. Whether you're a startup founder, product builder, or just curious about the AI-first future — this episode is packed with deep insights and practical examples.

00:00 - Intro 

01:07 - Welcome to Founder’s Foyer: AI Changing the Game  

02:28 - Can One Person Build a Unicorn Company?  

04:15 - Small Teams, Big Impact: Efficiency in the AI Era  

09:15 - Collapsing Roles: AI & Cross-functional Productivity  

14:47 - Rethinking Product Workflows with AI  

18:00 - Are PMs Now Designers, Analysts, and Builders?  

20:30 - AI Adoption Curve for people

23:05 - Adapting Mindset to AI  

28:45 - Goal of Chat Interface  

33:51 - NotebookLM, Audio Summaries & Personalised UIs  

37:37 - How Consumers Will Drive AI Interface Evolution  

43:07 - Brainstorming with LLMs: AI as Your Thinking Partner  

49:15 - Final Takeaways & Satyajeet’s Workflow with AI  

Follow 

Satyajeet Salgar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/salgar/

Follow The Founder’s Foyer

Website:  https://www.thefoundersfoyer.com/episodes/

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/thefoundersfoyer/

Newsletter: aishwarya.substack.com



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3 months ago
50 minutes 46 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#55 MCP Explained: The Future of Context-Aware AI | Sid, AI Engineer at Composio

In this episode, we chat with Sid from Composio to understand what MCP (Model Context Protocol) really means and how it's changing the way AI tools connect with different apps. Sid explains how MCP helps simplify complex processes and makes it easier for developers and AI agents to access the tools they need. 

We also talk about how this technology works behind the scenes, how it compares to APIs, and how big companies like Microsoft and Anthropic are getting involved. Sid shares real examples from Composio, showing how context-aware tools are being built and why they matter. 

Whether you're a developer, someone working with AI, or just curious about where this technology is headed, this conversation offers clear explanations and useful insights into a rapidly growing space.

0:00 – Intro & Sid’s Background

1:30 – What Is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

3:50 – Is MCP a tool

5:40 – What MCP Includes (Resources, Tools, Prompts)

8:55 – Journey of MCP

15:33 – Example of MCP In action

25:00 – Developer Experience & Setup

47:00 – The Future of MCP


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4 months ago
54 minutes 30 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#54 We’re a 9-person team doing the work of 20—thanks to AI | Jacob Bank, ex-Gmail, CEO of Relay

Jacob Bank, CEO of Relay and former product lead at Gmail, joins Aishwarya Ashok to explore how AI agents are truly reshaping the way we work. He explains why structured AI workflows solve most real-world needs today and highlights the concept of “spiky intelligence,” where AI excels at some tasks but still needs human direction. Jacob emphasizes that the most important skill in this new era isn’t coding, but the ability to clearly define goals and structure problems for AI. He shares practical ways to use AI not just to replace tasks, but to automate complex, cross-platform outcomes—unlocking new levels of productivity and enabling small teams to achieve big results. 00:00 - Intro 1:17 - Welcome 2:34 - Jacob's Journey: From Google to AI Agents 3:25 - Beyond Tools: Focusing on Workflows & Outcomes11:34 - AI Workflows vs AI Agents: What's the Difference?19:43 - The Human Role: Critical Thinking & Future Skills27:30 - Understanding "Spiky Intelligence" in AI31:30 - How to Start Building Your Own AI Agents43:21 - Demo of Relay53:11 - Summary and Outcome of the agent

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5 months ago
55 minutes 54 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#53 Building AI? You're Doing It Wrong Without This | Ami Vora - CPO at Faire, ex-WhatsApp, FB, IG

Ami Vora, CPO at Faire and former VP of Product & Design at WhatsApp, shares a unique perspective on how fear can be a driving force in decision-making and career growth. Raised in a family where fear played a significant role in shaping decisions, she turned fear into a tool for clarity.Rather than ignoring fear, she acknowledges it, writing down her fears and actively mitigating them when making big decisions, such as accepting a new job. By making the fear explicit, she unravels its power, turning it into actionable insights that help guide her.

Vora's experience reflects the ever-changing landscape of tech, where continuous learning is the only way to remain relevant. She draws on a lesson from a high school teacher, emphasizing the importance of staying on the frontier of knowledge to adapt to the unpredictable nature of the industry. Vora integrates this mindset by constantly challenging herself with low-stakes learning experiences outside of work, like ice skating, to reinforce the mindset of growth and adaptation. She reminds us that, especially in product and AI, there’s a need to embrace curiosity and let go of the pressure to always be right. In a world where everything is evolving rapidly, embracing failure and being comfortable with not knowing is essential for continual progress.Chapters0:00 Technology Won't Save You—Learning Will

2:09 Meet Ami Vora: From WhatsApp to Wild Versatility

4:04 How Jokes Helped Me Lead Through Hard Times

6:18 Turning Liberal Thinking Into a Career Superpower

9:00 What Actually Drives Us? Energy Over Everything

13:00 The Hardest Job I Stayed In—and What It Taught Me

17:00 Fear, Feedback, and Showing Up Anyway

20:00 Context Switching for Humans (Not Just AI)

22:08 The Tools I Trust: Reframing, Fear-Setting, and Closing Loops

36:02 AI, Agency, and Always Being Behind

43:27 Being Right vs Being Curious—The Career Mindset Shift

47:13 Execution > Strategy: Why Doing Beats Planning

51:25 My Career Is a Small Plates Dinner—and That’s a Superpower



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5 months ago
54 minutes 13 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#52 How Responsible AI Is Being Built Inside Real Companies ft. Aishwarya Srinivasan (Fireflies AI, ex-Google, IBM, Microsoft)

Responsible AI is no longer just a theory—it's a necessity. In this episode of The Founder's Foyer, we sit down with Aishwarya Srinivasan to explore how organisations are tackling ethical AI in real-world environments.

This discussion covers deep and practical insights into data privacy, copyright, enterprise integrations, and the future of agent-based systems. If you're building with AI or implementing LLMs in your org, this episode is a must-watch.

Learn how AI adoption, compliance, and governance must go hand-in-hand to shape innovation responsibly.

Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction: Why Responsible AI Matters 02:42 – Data-Centric AI vs. Theory: Applying Ethics in Practice 07:35 – Copyright & Model Training Dilemmas 11:40 – Post-Training, Filters & What Data Should Be Used 16:10 – Role-Based Access & AI in Enterprise Workflows 22:25 – Productivity Tools & Data Privacy Risks 29:20 – Agent vs Automation: What’s the Difference? 35:10 – Human-in-the-Loop: Where It Matters Most 41:00 – Real AI Use Cases: Sales, GTM, and Non-Tech Teams 48:00 – The Need for Cross-Functional AI Literacy 52:45 – The Challenge of Data Silos and Integration 58:10 – Final Thoughts: Building Trustworthy AI Systems


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6 months ago
58 minutes 55 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#51 The Future of No-Code: AI-Powered Apps & Businesses | Eric Simons (Stackblitz)

How AI-driven development tools like Bolt are revolutionising the way entrepreneurs build and launch apps. 


This discussion highlights groundbreaking real-world examples, from reducing costs by 99% to accelerating product development from months to weeks. 


Learn how non-developers are creating full-stack apps and CRMs with ease, leveraging AI to bring ideas to life faster than ever before. 


Speed is key, and Bold is leading the way in this new era of rapid innovation.


00:00 – Introduction

02:45 – The Viral Hooks App Case Study

06:10 – From $5,000 to $50: Cost & Time Revolution with Bolt

08:50 – AI-Powered CRM Case Study (Built in 3 Weeks)

15:40 – Speed is the Biggest Competitive Advantage

19:10 –  Bolt vs Big Tech

23:00 – Real-Time Feedback & Prototyping with AI

26:00 – Bolt’s Open Source Edge & Model Integration

30:50 – End Users Don’t Care About Models—Only Results

33:20 – Bolt’s Rise to Market Leader in Web-Based Code Gen

36:15 – Bolt for Everyone: From Personal Sites to Full SaaS

39:00 – The Journey: Building Bolt & Going Viral

42:00 – What Makes Great Founders?

44:50 – The Vision: Building Apps as Easily as Designing in Canva


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6 months ago
54 minutes 28 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#50 How can AI help you build a startup—without writing code ft. Colin Matthews (AI Founder)

In this episode, Colin dives into the world of AI-powered coding tools and shares

actionable strategies for building projects efficiently. Whether you’re a developer or

a non-technical founder, learn how to choose the right tools (like Replit, Bolt,

Lovable, and V0), structure your workflow, and avoid common pitfalls.

*Why planning beats jumping straight into code

* When to use mock data vs. backend integrations

* Tool comparisons: Replit (full-stack), Bolt (prototyping), Lovable (non-technical),

and V0 (styling)

* The importance of validating ideas before scaling

Timestamp:

00:00 – Introduction

05:34 – Choosing the Right AI Coding Tool

09:47 – Why Planning Before Coding Matters

20:07 – Strengths & Weaknesses of AI Coding Tools

30:51 – AI for Non-Technical Founders

36:50 – Frontend vs. Backend: What to Build First

47:29 – The Reality of Building SaaS & AI Products

50:17 – The Smartest Way to Validate Your Idea

56:30 – The Future of AI Coding & Development

01:00:00 – Conclusion & Key Takeaways

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7 months ago
1 hour 1 minute 23 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#49 Unlock the Real Power of AI: Beyond Just Prompts! | Tal Raviv (GenAI PM)

00:00 - Intro: The Role of AI as a Thought Partner02:54 - Moving Beyond AI for Drafting: A Productivity Shift06:08 - Using AI for Conversations and Decision-Making09:48 - Project Knowledge: Uploading Context for Better AI Responses13:41 - The Truth About Prompt Engineering16:03 - Iterative AI Interactions: Refining Responses21:01 - AI as a Thought Partner: A Self-Driving Car Analogy29:46 - AI for Web Apps: Where Are We Now?37:27 - AI as a Nutritionist: A Surprising Use Case44:57 - Consuming News with AI: The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese

Tal Raviv has been a  hands-on product manager & technical founder for 15+ years at hyper growth companies, always among the first PMs. He’s a Gen AI PM, and has been on the early teams of Patreon, Riverside, Wix, AppsFlyer, DuckDuckGo. He teaches one of the most popular PM courses in Maven focused on building your own AI copilot, which we’re going to dive into today. 


We dive deep into how AI can be used as a thought partner, not just a tool for drafting documents. Whether you're a product manager, content creator, or AI enthusiast, this video will help you rethink how you interact with AI to maximize productivity, creativity, and decision-making.🔹 Learn why AI is more than just automation🔹 Discover the power of iterative AI interactions🔹 Understand how project knowledge enhances AI responses🔹 Explore unexpected AI use cases, from nutrition to filmmaking🔹 Find out why prompt engineering is overrated

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8 months ago
48 minutes 36 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#48 Build your own ideas without writing any code ft. Harold Dijkstra, 100 School

00:00 Intro to Harold

01:30 Harold's Journey into No Code

04:11 From No Code to AI

06:34 Overcoming Analysis Paralysis in AI Building

10:43 Starting Small with AI

16:14 Building with AI Insights

25:57 Learning from AI Errors

27:28 The Importance of Practice in AI Learning

29:08 Building and Collaborating with AI

30:14 Personalizing AI Workflows

32:28 Challenges and Future of AI Tools

41:09 Advice for AI Tool Founders


If you're looking to get started with AI building, here's a special discount for you:

https://maven.com/no-code-ai/no-code-ai-bootcamp?promoCode=FOUNDERSFOYER

https://maven.com/no-code-ai/coding-with-ai?promoCode=FOUNDERS-FOYER


Product building has been democratized with AI—from PMs, developers and designers to exec leaders, everyone’s been eyeing on how to ride the AI wave and ensure they’re up to date with what it takes to grow in this new economy. The latest in that journey is how AI coding agents have been remarkable in helping people go from ideas to working prototypes in hours and days.


Harold Dijkstra is currently building the 100 School—making tech and AI skills accessible for anyone with ideas. With helping more than 41k+ builders across the globe, their online approach has been super helpful for creators and builders to ship prompts to products.


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8 months ago
50 minutes 20 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#47 AI filmmaking beyond side hustle—a career for creative people ft. Matty Shimura, Executive AI Producer, Civitai

00:00 Intro about Matty Shimura

02:54 Matt's Journey: Traditional Filmmaking to AI

04:25 The Power of GenAI Tools Today 

07:18 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Filmmaking

12:09 The Future of AI in Media

20:44 Community and Collaboration: The Magic Sauce in AI 

20:51 Monetizing AI Filmmaking—Brands & Corporations

27:59 The Role of Contests and Competitions

35:55 The Debate on AI and Creativity

41:03 Future Jobs in AI Filmmaking


While there’s news about new AI companies everyday, beyond that, we’re actually seeing people explore the value behind AI—what to do and where to put AI to good use. One such direction is art and films. With generative image and video models getting better, it’s now possible to convert any idea into script and a fully-functional creative media.

Matty Shimura is an Executive Producer specializing in AI-driven film and television at Civitai. His work has been featured by organizations such as Meta, Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, AT&T Shape Create-a-thon, and C-SPAN. He leads initiatives to make AI tools more accessible and equitable for creators worldwide—helping artists reduce bias, amplify diverse voices, and unlock new dimensions of storytelling. 


how AI tools are democratizing creativity, offering new opportunities for both traditional filmmakers and aspiring creators. They discuss the impact of AI on job roles, the nuances of storytelling with AI, and the importance of community in navigating this rapidly evolving landscape.

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9 months ago
47 minutes 21 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#46 The school I wish I had when I was growing my career ft. Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, Founder of Product School

00:00 Meet Carlos 01:19 Carlos' Journey into Product Management 02:26 The Inception of Product School 03:52 Challenges and Successes in EdTech 06:47 Evolution of Product School 12:15 Global Reach & Online Education 17:35 Building Product School as a Product 20:26 Importance of Showing Up & Investing in Yourself 22:32 Balancing Community and Business 26:13 Trends in Product Management and AI 29:41 The Impact of AI on Product Management 33:16 The Rise of No-Code Tools & AI Integration 38:37 Final Thoughts and Future of Product Management Being a product builder is like continuously thinking about one’s craft and discovering ways to make it better each time. Product mindset is more of a lifetime learning, and the best way it can be done is finding a set of peers and folks you look up to, and doing it together as a community. Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience building products. He founded the Product School in 2014, which is the global leader in product training with a community of over two million members. All of their instructors are seasoned product people working at top Silicon Valley companies including Google, Meta, Netflix, Airbnb, Uber, and Amazon. Prior to Product School, he founded Floqq, the largest online education marketplace in Spanish and Portuguese at the time.


We chat about Carlos's journey from his early days in Spain to founding Product School in Silicon Valley, the evolution of the product management community, and the impact of AI and new trends in the product space. Carlos shares his insights on building a community-led company, the importance of continuous learning, and how Product School is reshaping education in the tech industry.



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11 months ago
43 minutes 7 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#45 How to tell better stories in tech and life & make ideas storyworthy ft. Matthew Dicks (Storyteller, Author, Educator, Podcaster)

00:00 Introduction to Matthew Dicks 01:19 Matt's Journey into Storytelling 04:46 Teaching Storytelling: From Kids to Corporates 06:55 Essence of a Good Story 15:47 Homework for Life: Capturing Everyday Moments 24:26 The Pickle Story: A Lesson in Specificity 25:02 Hone Personal Storytelling 26:12 Connecting Through Shared Narratives 28:16 Crafting Engaging Beginnings 38:08 Role of Humor in Storytelling 43:35 AI and the Future of Storytelling ----------- All of us love listening to stories from friends, teammates, and sometimes even strangers we meet. What makes us a good listener also pushes us to share our own experiences and thoughts. But when it comes to storytelling, there’s a ton of questions that cloud us up—what to share, what would keep us relevant with our audience, why would someone be interested in what we say? Great stories are crafted, unforgettable, and are uniquely associated with the person who shares—so let’s dive deeper to understand how all of us can become storytellers. Matthew Dicks is a best-selling author, columnist, blogger, podcaster, and teacher. Matt has taught clients like the FBI, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, MIT, Harvard, & Lego how to tell their best stories. He’s a creator, producer, and co-host of Speak Up Storytelling podcast and he’s also authored the most-famous book, Storyworthy, which has received so much appreciation among the folks in tech. In this episode, Matt discusses the universal strategies applicable to both personal and business storytelling, importance of capturing 'five second moments,' the power of relatability, and how to become more memorable through storytelling. Whether you’re pitching a product or engaging an audience, there are so many techniques we chatted about to craft stories that resonate.

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1 year ago
48 minutes 1 second

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#44 Finding your voice, community and growth in tech ft. Ha Nguyen, Product & Community Lead, Poker Champion

00:00 Welcome to the Founders Foyer 01:45 Embracing Joy, Connections, and Discovery 05:35 The Power of Building Genuine Networks 10:00 Creating a Personal Board of Directors 16:10 Building a Networking Flywheel 29:56 The Roller Coaster of Startup Life (Moving from Big Tech) 31:48 The Power of Storytelling in Business 36:13 Lessons from Poker: Risk and Confidence 42:39 Embracing Fractional Roles 53:24 Building Authentic Communities In the fast-paced world of tech and products, finding joy and building meaningful connections can be as crucial as coding the next big feature. Whether you’re a first-time founder, an avid creator, or an indiehacker, knowing what excites you about building products, learning from doing, and discovering how to navigate the right networks are key. Ha Nguyen is a product lead, venture capitalist, one of the co-founders of Women in Product community, who also embraces fractional work and growing possibilities for the last two decades in tech. She’s currently the founder & Managing Partner of NextStep, supporting early stage founders on their journey to become master operators, company builders, and people leaders. She’s a tournament poker player who made the final table of a World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament. In this episode, Aishwarya and Ha chat about building meaningful connections, embracing joy, and discovering new experiences in the fast-paced tech world. Ha shares her journey—taking a sabbatical for mental health, building a personal board of directors, the value of fractional roles, and the influence of storytelling in leadership.

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1 year ago
59 minutes 18 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#43 Growing communities, connections and landing on the right opportunities ft. Ben Lang (Ex Community Lead, Notion | Building Nextplay)

0:00 - Introduction to Ben Lang

2:10 - Power of Communities

5:30 - Ben Lang's Notion Journey

9:15 - Corona Crash: Bringing People Together

12:45 - Notion: Finding and Empowering Superusers

16:25 - Community Strategies and Challenges

20:00 - Influencer Marketing and Content Creation

25:50 - Metrics and Success Indicators for Scaling Communities

30:10 - Transitioning to Nextplay

35:30 - Building Connections & Belonging

38:45 - What's up for Nextplay


Meeting like-minded folks from our circles is such a fun thing to do—the way we exchange ideas, talk to each other, get inspired, and use the accountability that comes with commitment; these are all the upsides to a great group. Building an idea into a product is so much about cultivating taste in people, riding by their motivations, and helping them belong in a group of other similar folks. How to bring people together with the right intent, why to build community and how to thrive those communities for the long game? Ben Lang is a builder and community lead, who enjoys bringing people together and helping them find opportunities and interests to work. He formerly led Notion’s community and was one of the early marketing hires there.


Ben loves building stuff, and his template gallery side project attracted nearly 70,000 visits per month even before he made a move to Notion. He is currently building Next Play—the best way to discover what’s next with curated opportunities, gatherings, and content.

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1 year ago
40 minutes 29 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#42 Taste, intuition & rigorous thinking for building products ft. Wes Kao (Co-Founder, Maven & AltMBA)

00:00 Introduction to Founders Foyer

01:40 The Magic of Learnable Skills

05:45 Building Alt MBA: The Experiment

08:57 The Rise of Live Learning with Maven

17:14 Intuition vs. Rigorous Thinking

30:39 The Importance of Deep Reflection

31:32 Balancing Immediate Action with Thoughtful Planning

32:54 Understanding and Developing Taste

38:22 Communicating Taste and Quality

45:30 Managing Ego in Collaborative Work

48:12 The Power of Super Specific Hows

54:08 Practical Applications of Super Specific Hows


Building hype for your ideas, leading the vision, and setting clarity on how to execute on plans are definitely things that we as product builders and creative minds want to get better at. Thinking becomes a great part of this and learning to observe intensely and being able to articulate thoughts are the result of great thinking. So how to communicate and work in a way that’s positive-sum and leveraging?


Wes Kao is an entrepreneur, marketer, coach, and advisor who writes at newsletter.weskao.com. She is co-founder of Maven, an edtech company that raised $25M from First Round and Andreessen Horowitz. Previously, she co-founded altMBA with bestselling author Seth Godin. Wes’ essays are deep reads that help you vividly experience the ‘how’ rather than merely stating points.


In this episode, Wes and Aishwarya chat about co-founding Alt MBA with Seth Godin to Wes' current role at Maven, differences between lazy and rigorous thinking, and actionable insights on turning 'Je ne sais quoi' into an executable framework. Tune in!

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1 year ago
59 minutes 56 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#41 Ideas to product—navigating the founding journey ft. Sharath Kuruganty (Founder, Guestlab.ai, Podcaster)

00:00 Meet Sharath Kuruganty: The Creative Builder

01:26 Sharath’s Journey into the Creative Space

02:32 Building Muscle: The Key to Founding Success

03:38 Importance of Community in the Creative Process

08:50 ‘Commitment and the No Excuses’ Mindset

14:36 Balancing Creativity and Mistakes

26:00 Power of Sharing and Building in Public

28:59 Understanding Public Accountability

30:14 Qualifying Questions for Self-Reflection

31:46 Managing Self-Doubt as a Founder

34:44 Journaling and Gratitude

38:34 Exploring the Podcasting Landscape

51:03 Giving Back as a Founder


How is it to have ideas constantly bustling inside your mind? The creative spirit is the one that’s so effervescent—one day you want to kickstart a new project and just by the evening, you want to build another idea out. Navigating this path of building things for fun, also aligned with monetization and community goals is definitely a huge challenge. How to get going with this?


Sharath Kuruganty is a seasoned creative builder who loves exploring ideas, shipping things quickly, and iterating and learning from feedback. Sharath’s experiences go so wide—from helping creators launch stuff at Product Hunt, to growing communities with OnDeck, interviewing underdogs on his podcast, and building out products like shoutout.so, GuestLab.ai, he’s a complete creator-product package.


In this episode, Sharath shares personal anecdotes and practical tips for aspiring founders and creators on staying committed, managing self-doubt, and leveraging the growing podcast space.

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1 year ago
53 minutes 50 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
#40 How to use our mind & AI: writing, building apps, creating a business ft. Dan Shipper (Founder, Every | Builder | Podcaster)

00:00 Introducing Dan Shipper & Every

02:45 The Philosophy of Building: Reflecting on Identity and Creation

07:37 Dan's Journey: From Tech Founder to Embracing Writing and AI

15:05 Leveraging AI for Creativity and Efficiency in Media

21:35 Reimagining Reading: How AI Enhances the Experience

25:32 Exploring AI's Personalization and Future Potential

28:18 The Evolution of AI: From Sidekick to Personal Assistant

32:45 AI's Role in Content Creation

35:43 Navigating Self-Doubt and Creative Consistency

42:41 The Influence of 70’s Aesthetics on Creativity

46:34 Physical Inspirations in a Digital Age

49:39 Reflecting on AI, Emotion, and Artistic Expression



To think and to create are by far the most satisfying part of work for all of us. As new technologies come in, the crux we keep getting closer to is thinking clearly and creating more frequently. AI has made this process not just upleveled in speed but also introduced a side-kick approach. How to incorporate AI and still build our unique taste? What’s it like to ride with AI and find more individuality with the creative projects and businesses that we build?


Dan Shipper is the co-founder of Every, a creative media company that works to make you smarter about technology, productivity, and AI, trusted by almost 70k builders. Dan is a writer, thinker, podcaster, builder behind an AI chatbot, and his current work is filled with playing around with AI and shipping related projects.


In this chat, Dan and Aishwarya discuss the transformative impact of AI on creativity, the process of building unique projects, and intertwining personal growth with professional work. Dan elaborates on a recent AI project (internal to Every), Spiral, designed to convert content into different formats effectively, providing insights into his reading habits with AI's assistance.

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1 year ago
54 minutes 14 seconds

The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok
The Founder's Foyer with Aishwarya Ashok is full of hallway conversations—the space where early-stage founders, builders, and creators look for all the foundational concepts and support to grow their ideas into products. Follow this show for all things Product, Ideas, Growth.