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The Undefeated Underdogs
Sharath Kuruganty
78 episodes
4 days ago
The Undefeated Underdogs is a podcast unpacking the underdog stories you never heard of! It highlights the underdog mentality and brings authentic conversations with people who play the long game, take action with a chip on their shoulders, and convert obstacles into opportunities! Buckle up, as I will be bringing some authentic founders, VCs, community builders, and content creators who got underestimated their whole life, and yet they beat the odds and became insanely successful!
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Entrepreneurship
Technology,
Business
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The Undefeated Underdogs is a podcast unpacking the underdog stories you never heard of! It highlights the underdog mentality and brings authentic conversations with people who play the long game, take action with a chip on their shoulders, and convert obstacles into opportunities! Buckle up, as I will be bringing some authentic founders, VCs, community builders, and content creators who got underestimated their whole life, and yet they beat the odds and became insanely successful!
Show more...
Entrepreneurship
Technology,
Business
Episodes (20/78)
The Undefeated Underdogs
Andrew Yeung - How to build a million-dollar events company from scratch!

👉🏼 About the Guests:

Business Insider dubbed Andrew Yeung as The Great Gatsby of startups. Andrew moved to the US as an immigrant in 2020 and after a brief stint at Facebook, Google he founded his events company Fibe, generated millions of dollars in revenue, hosted more than 40K tech folks, became a partner at Next Wave NYC, grew his personal brand - all this happened in the last 4yrs. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/


👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Andrew discuss networking, succeeding in America as underdogs, why NYC is awesome, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:46: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:14: Intro to Andrew Yeung - the Great Gatsby of startups
  • 04:30: Why Andrew chose NYC and events over San Francisco and product-building
  • 09:00: How Andrew entered tech
  • 10:47: How Andrew built his network in tech
  • 13:34: How to network as a founder vs a VC
  • 17:31: Building a network in 2025
  • 19:37: Cold Outreach 101
  • 21:43: Andrew's favorite cold outreach template
  • 24:41: Navigating cultural shock as an immigrant
  • 29:10: How Andrew found gaps to build his business around
  • 31:07: How to build a business for people's needs
  • 34:06: Andrew's playbook on how underdogs can succeed in America
  • 36:16: Behind the scenes of Fibe - Andrew's event-hosting business
  • 41:12: What's next for Fibe
  • 43:55: How to host better events
  • 46:28: Andrew's favorite event-hosting format
  • 47:15: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Andrew:

  • Website: https://www.andrewyeung.co/
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyeung
  • Twitter: https://x.com/andruyeung

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
8 months ago
47 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Julian Weisser - Why ODF is on a mission of making things for people who make things!

👉🏼 About the Guests:

Julian Weisser is a prominent entrepreneur, investor, and musician, best known as the co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck, a platform designed to support startup founders in launching and scaling their companies. Under his leadership, On Deck facilitated the launch of over 1,000 startups, significantly impacting the entrepreneurial landscape by providing resources and networking opportunities for aspiring founders.

Julian is currently building Merge for microgrants, Stamp List to help job applicants who require visa sponsorship, and Builders Who Run, a run club based in SF. 


With a background in Music and Management from Berklee College of Music, Julian entered the startup world, co-founding Within Health, a company focused on using behavioral science to improve the lives of individuals with chronic conditions. 


In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Weisser is an active angel investor, having backed over 50 startups across multiple industries, including decentralized finance and health tech. He is passionate about supporting innovative projects that aim to solve significant societal challenges. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/


👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Julian discuss building for people who make things, building community in 2025, how to work at a hypergrowth startup, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:44: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:09: Intro to Julian Weisser - Co-founder and CEO of ODF/On Deck
  • 04:51: How Julian fell in love with startups
  • 10:43: What founders can learn from musicians
  • 15:01: How Julian built his very first startup
  • 20:41: How On Deck went from a dinner series to a $20M Series A startup
  • 27:07: Lessons from a hypergrowth startup
  • 34:49: How can we build community in person in 2025?
  • 37:33: Julian's project for people with big ideas: Merge
  • 47:11: Julian's project for immigrants: Stamp List
  • 51:17: How Julian started a run club in SF
  • 55:45: Julian's projects in 2025
  • 1:00:44: What should founders focus on?
  • 1:06:13: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Julian:

  • Website: https://weisser.io
  • Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/julianweisser
  • Twitter: https://x.com/julianweisser
  • Newsletter and Podcast: https://textswithfounders.com/
  • On Deck: https://www.joinodf.com/
  • Merge: https://merge.club/
  • Stamp List: https://landing.club/stamplist
  • Builders Who Run: https://weisser.io/runners

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
10 months ago
1 hour 7 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Founders of Defang - Building the easiest way to develop, deploy and debug cloud apps in minutes!

👉🏼 About the Guests:

Prakash and Lionello are the co-founders of Defang, a radically simpler way to develop, deploy, and debug production-ready cloud apps. 

Lionello is CTO at Defang, as well as an engineering lead and community organizer with EE and CS background and 20 years of international industry experience doing software and hardware. He has lived in Eindhoven, Bucharest, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and recently moved to Vancouver BC. In 1997, he founded a virtual-reality software company, acquired by a multinational company for their real-time 3D rendering technology. In 2019, Workday acquired Trusted Key, the blockchain digital identity startup he helped found. Lio is active in the local maker communities, having been a staff member in China's first makerspace Xinchejian since its founding. 

Prakash serves as CEO at Defang. He co-founded & served as Chief Technology Officer, President & Board Member at Trusted Key Solutions. He brings experience from previous roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Workday, and Trusted Key. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/


👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath, Prakash, and Lio discuss building for builders, how frustration helped them create Defang, growth tactics, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:44: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:10: Intro to Lio and Prakash - co-founders of Defang, a radically simpler way to develop, deploy, and debug production-ready cloud apps. 
  • 05:29: Why Defang's mission is to help builders move faster
  • 09:19: How frustration led to building Defang
  • 15:01: Why big brands like AWS don't focus on builders
  • 17:02: How to go from idea to MVP for a complex product
  • 23:09: How Defang launched in the market and iterated using feedback
  • 28:40: Defang's growth tactics to reach users
  • 32:33: What made Prakash go from being a technical and engineering lead to a CEO?
  • 34:55: Defang's Product Hunt launch
  • 38:10: How Defang harnesses the power of AI
  • 44:22: How to differentiate yourself from the competition
  • 48:00: Important lessons from corporate and startups
  • 50:56: Where is the app-creating environment going?
  • 53:55: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Defang's Product Hunt Launch: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/defang

👉🏼 Where to find Defang:

  • Product Hunt Launch: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/defang
  • Website: https://defang.io
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/defanglabs/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefangLabs
  • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DefangLabs
  • Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nNjaJcJ25v
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DefangLabs/
  • Github: https://github.com/DefangLabs

👉🏼 Where to find Prakash:

  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakashsundaresan/

👉🏼 Where to find Lio:

  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionello/
  • Twitter: https://x.com/LioLunesu

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
10 months ago
54 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Brett Goldstein - How Micro is reinventing email and making it great again!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Brett Goldstein is the founder of Micro, an email-CRM blend so you can stay on top of your communications. He is also the co-founder of Launch House, which is a community built to connect and support the world's most ambitious entrepreneurs and creators. Launch House brings together emerging leaders in the startup and entertainment worlds to live in illustrious mansions around the world. Previously, he worked at Clearbit, Google, and Accenture, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Brett discuss building in a crowded market, the origin of Launch House, blending ambition and relationships, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:42: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:09: Intro to Brett Goldstein - founder of Micro, an email-CRM blend so you can stay on top of your communications.
  • 04:33: Where Brett found his passion for startups
  • 08:40: What inspires Brett to create?
  • 10:10: Brett's first projects before Google
  • 12:14: Why Brett chose startups and not music as a career
  • 16:22: How Launch House turned from a reality show to a hacker house
  • 20:28: How Brett went from a random tweet to building a network of founders at Launch House
  • 22:43: How Brett pushes founders towards ambition AND relationship-building
  • 25:20: How Brett took advantage of the crypto wave
  • 27:59: What do most founders miss really easily?
  • 33:02: Why Brett is choosing to reinvent email
  • 40:12: How to avoid the downsides of a crowded market
  • 43:01: Why Micro is creating an email-CRM blend
  • 48:30: The problem-solving frameworks Brett used to build Micro
  • 50:15: Brett's criteria for finding cofounders
  • 52:43: Brett's cheatsheet to building a network in tech
  • 54:30: How will AI impact the rise of startups and creative projects?
  • 58:30: What Brett would build if not Micro
  • 1:00:03: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Brett:

  • Micro: https://www.micro.so/
  • Launch House: https://www.launchhouse.com/
  • Twitter: https://x.com/thatguybg
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bgoldstein3/
  • Website: brettgoldstein.com
  • Newsletter: https://socialstudies.substack.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
11 months ago
1 hour

The Undefeated Underdogs
Chrys Bader - A masterclass on the art of building viral consumer apps for the Internet!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Chrys is the co-founder at Rosebud, an AI-powered personal growth journal. He is a 6-time founder, founding Curio NFT Intelligence, Ikaria (social wellness), and Secret (social media). Prior to Secret, Chrys was a Product Manager at Google where he launched the photo-sharing community Photovine and contributed to Google+ and YouTube. He has built and launched several mobile social products such as Fliggo, TwitVid, Vidly and Treehouse. Chrys was born and raised near Boston and is a Y Combinator alumni.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Chrys discuss building in a saturated market, using AI as a thought partner, designing original apps, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:45: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:11: Intro to Chrys Bader - co-founder at Rosebud, an AI-powered personal growth journal
  • 07:07: The experience of building a consumer app in mental health
  • 11:14: How is Rosebud different from other AI companionship apps?
  • 15:43: Where Chrys' love for mobile apps comes from
  • 21:45: Why Chrys prefers building for consumers
  • 25:43: Chrys' design inspiration for Rosebud
  • 30:16: Building Rosebud as a designer and as a founder
  • 33:10: How Chrys refuels himself after hard times in startup world
  • 47:43: Chrys' advice for founders building consumer ideas and consumer apps
  • 56:12: Fundraising vs bootstrapping in 2024
  • 1:01:49: How Y Combinator changed Chrys as a founder and why he didn't go back
  • 1:05:45: How Chrys went from social wellness to photo sharing to mental health apps as a founder
  • 1:08:12: Rosebud's AI origin story
  • 1:10:35: Where Rosebud is going next
  • 1:14:42: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Tyson Rosage: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/how-to-make-design-decisions-tyson-rosage

👉🏼 Where to find Chrys:

  • Rosebud: https://help.rosebud.app/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrysb
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrysb
  • Website: https://chrysbader.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
11 months ago
1 hour 15 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Charlie Clark - How a solo founder took a side project from an idea to $300k+ ARR product!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Charlie Clark is a software engineer, creative coder, & bootstrapped founder who has grown his short links product, Liinks, to $25K MRR just 3 years after it officially launched.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Charlie discuss being a bootstrapped founder, building in a saturated market, making your side project a full time job, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:35: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:01: Intro to Charlie Clark - founder of Liinks, a beautiful link-in-bio page to gather your socials, music, videos, and more
  • 04:52: Why is Liinks spelled with two ii's?
  • 05:28: Why short links are better
  • 07:35: Why Charlie set $25K MRR as a target to quit his full-time job
  • 11:07: How Charlie designed Liinks to be clean, yet fun
  • 15:41: How to convince people to buy your product
  • 20:35: Learnings as a second-time founder
  • 22:45: Why Liinks: Building in a saturated market
  • 27:20: How to know if you want to commit to your project full-time
  • 30:51: How to market in a saturated market
  • 36:25: How to make creator-led products profitable
  • 40:20: How Charlie made Liinks aesthetically pleasing 
  • 43:45: How working at Squarespace helped Liinks grow
  • 48:45: Frameworks Charlie uses for growth, design, and user retention
  • 50:10: How to balance user requests vs your own roadmap?
  • 53:51: How will AI impact the future of Liinks?
  • 58:08: Why Charlie chose the solo founder route
  • 1:00:55: Why Charlie bootstrapped Liinks vs raising venture capital
  • 1:02:53: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Charlie:

  • Liinks: https://www.liinks.co/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkcharlie03
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkcharlie03
  • vsual: https://www.vsual.co/closing
  • Emoji Book: http://emojibook.club/
  • Colors of Motion: https://thecolorsofmotion.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
11 months ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Zachary Hamed - How using AI and design thinking made Clay the next generation rolodex!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Zach Hamed is a design-focused engineer who enjoys designing, building, and selling software. He is currently co-founder and co-CEO of Clay, a beautiful and private home for your personal and professional relationships. Previously, he helped build the product team at Goldman Sachs, co-founded a startup in the enterprise developer tools space, and writes blog posts.

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Zach discuss going from a startup to corporate and back to startups, identifying A players, design thinking, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:30: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 02:56: Intro to Zachary Hamed - co-founder at Clay, a beautiful personal CRM, contact manager, and rolodex for people across industries who want to be more thoughtful with the people they know
  • 05:35: Why Zach is building a startup in NYC vs Silicon Valley
  • 10:38: Zach's experience going through the Thiel Fellowship
  • 13:29: Going from building a startup to working at a large corporate
  • 19:51: A process at Goldman Sachs that serves Zachary well today
  • 25:15: Growth frameworks for Clay
  • 33:53: How to spot and hire talent smarter than you
  • 40:40: How to find A players
  • 46:30: Why does Clay use .earth for their domain?
  • 49:55: Why Zachary pursued a consumer-first approach
  • 57:50: How AI is revolutionizing Clay's people-first approach
  • 1:03:45: Using AI in Clay to catch up and schedule follow-ups
  • 1:09:25: How Zach is building Clay using design thinking
  • 1:17:35: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Sparrow: https://sparrow.en.softonic.com/mac
  • Mailbox: https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9873268/why-dropbox-mailbox-shutdown
  • Thiel Fellowship: https://thielfellowship.org/

👉🏼 Where to find Zachary:

  • Website: https://zmh.org/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/zmh
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyhamed
  • Clay: https://clay.earth/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
12 months ago
1 hour 18 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Brendan Mahony - Why founders should look at building startups as a game and not a business!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Brendan Mahony is the founder of Sunset, a company that helps tech companies shut down, saving founders thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. He is also the ex-founder of Toybox (YC S18, acquired) and Contrast (shut down). From this experience, he built Sunset!

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Brendan discuss raising money, finding customers at an early stage, weird startup ideas, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:22: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 02:47: Introduction to Brendan Mahony - founder of Sunset, a startup helping you shut down your startup correctly
  • 04:33: Why create a startup about shutting down startups
  • 10:00: How Brendan raised money as a first-time founder
  • 19:05: How to get investors on board for your startup
  • 20:50: Finding customers as an early-stage startup
  • 25:20: Lessons from the first year of building Sunset
  • 27:20: Building a startup at Y Combinator
  • 32:34: How to bend the rules when you're in founder mode
  • 38:16: How to deal with shutting down your startup - operationally, physically, mentally, emotionally
  • 42:12: What would Brendan work on if not Sunset?
  • 46:00: Weird startup ideas
  • 48:25: Problems startups deal with
  • 50:47: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Andrew Gazdecki: https://www.andrewgazdecki.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Brendan:

  • Twitter: https://x.com/bmaho2211
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-mahony-72929385
  • Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
52 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Ryan Gilbert - How to master the art of building and scaling curation newsletters!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Ryan Gilbert is the founder of Workspaces, a newsletter with nearly 14K subscribers, $2K MRR, and 45K subscribers on Twitter, all about the desks of creatives around the world, born during the pandemic. Workspaces was acquired by Loops in 2022, where Ryan was Head of Content, and re-acquired by Ryan for $1 in 2024. He has also worked at Product Hunt and has a new newsletter all about the best headlines across the internet, named H1 Gallery.

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Ryan discuss side projects, building a personal brand, curation vs creation, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:38: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:06: Introduction to Ryan Gilbert - founder of Workspaces
  • 04:41: Curation vs creation and how they're similar
  • 06:35: How to develop taste
  • 11:00: How to build a narrative around your taste
  • 12:02: Current untapped content trends
  • 15:58: The beginning of Workspaces
  • 21:02: How side projects can change your life
  • 22:25: Tactics for growing a newsletter 0 to 1
  • 24:30: Experiments that didn't work for Workspaces
  • 26:47: Improvements that Ryan is planning for Workspaces
  • 28:38: Why sponsorships are harder now
  • 32:08: Running experiments for sponsors
  • 36:52: Ryan's content strategy at Loops - the email platform for SaaS
  • 39:16: Low-cost content tips
  • 40:47: Building a content strategy in 2024
  • 43:54: Current trends people should pay attention to
  • 44:46: How founders can build a personal brand
  • 46:54: Ryan's experience as a new dad
  • 49:46: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Ryan:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/rjgilbert
  • Website: https://www.workspaces.xyz/
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryang1lbert/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
51 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Yana Welinder - How to build and scale a VC-backed startup as a solo founder!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Yana Welinder is CEO and Founder of Kraftful (YC S19) – an AI assistant that helps product teams build better products by listening to users at scale. Before starting Kraftful, she led product teams at multiple tech companies and personally experienced the challenge of trying to involve millions of users in the product development process. At Kraftful, she built a team of Meta, Slack, and IFTTT alumni, backed by Y Combinator, Google, Samsung, and other exceptional investors and entrepreneurs. Yana is also a Stanford fellow and has been invited to give talks at the White House, the UN Internet Governance Forum, Yale, NYU, and many product events and podcasts over the years.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Yana discuss founder mode, creating sticky products, mental health as a solo founder, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 01:00: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:26: Introduction to Yana Welinder - YC alum, solo founder at Kraftful – an AI assistant
  • 05:01: How Yana discovered a niche for Kraftful
  • 09:40: How to carry off a pivot, emotionally and tactically
  • 15:52: Signals that indicate a need to pivot
  • 18:30: Building a support system as a solo founder
  • 19:50: Therapy frameworks that help solo founders
  • 22:10: Habits to calm you down as a founder
  • 25:51: How Y Combinator changes your startup journey
  • 30:55: How Y Combinator has changed over the years
  • 34:57: How to drive organic traction as a founder
  • 41:45: Wearing many hats as a solo founder: hiring, growth, marketing, product
  • 45:40: How to make your product sticky
  • 48:22: Founder mode vs Manager mode
  • 54:10: Yana's reply to "founder mode is trash" takes
  • 56:58: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Paul Graham: https://paulgraham.com/
  • Founder Mode: https://www.paulgraham.com/foundermode.html

👉🏼 Where to find Yana:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/yanatweets
  • Website: https://www.kraftful.com/
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ywelinder
  • TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/author/yana-welinder/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
57 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Chris Hladczuk - Tactical advice you need to know to build a fintech startup in stealth!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Chris (300K+ followers on Linkedin and Twitter) went to Yale and played in the Men's Lacrosse team, then to investment banking at Goldman Sachs, then joined the tech startup world, and is now the founder of his own startup. Now, he's bringing together his backgrounds in finance, tech, and startups to create Hanover, with $1 billion in assets under administration.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Chris discuss content creation, why Chiefs of Staffs aren't great for early-stage startups, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:40: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:08: Introduction to Chris Hladczuk - Yale alum, investment banker, content creator, founder
  • 07:00: Chris' lessons learned as a content creator
  • 10:37: The tactical stuff: going from idea -> first draft -> finished content
  • 14:00: A starter guide to becoming a content creator
  • 17:45: Benefits of writing content for 4+ years
  • 19:30: What the early days of content creation are like
  • 21:55: Chris' journey from Yale to Goldman Sachs to tech startups
  • 24:17: How to start questioning the status quo
  • 25:54: How Chris deals with lows, failures, and rejection
  • 28:22: Why sports & startups are the same
  • 31:35: Chris' experience at Goldman Sachs
  • 33:15: Why Chris left Goldman Sachs
  • 34:20: How Goldman Sachs actually helped Chris build a startup
  • 37:25: Why Chris chooses not to be a full-time content creator
  • 38:49: How to pick which startup to work at
  • 40:30: Being an individual contributor vs a Chief of Staff
  • 42:25: The best hard skills to learn
  • 44:50: Chris' experience at Meow
  • 47:52: How Chris developed the conviction to start his own company
  • 51:22: The experience of building a complete product
  • 54:20: Chris' new startup, Hanover: a co-pilot for VCs
  • 57:09: Building in public vs building in stealth
  • 58:14: Fundraising 101
  • 59:15: How AI is changing the world in 2024
  • 1:01:04: Defining excellence in startups

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Jack Butcher: https://twitter.com/jackbutcher
  • Paul Graham: https://paulgraham.com/
  • Meow: https://www.meow.com/
  • Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/

👉🏼 Where to find Chris:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrishlad
  • Website: https://chrishlad.com/
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hladczuk-b09204153
  • Hanover: https://www.hanover.co/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Derek - How to master the art of growing and monetizing newsletters from scratch!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Derek is the founder of Remote Jobs, the world's repository for remote jobs, and the creator of Daily UI, the #1 design challenge, with a combined total of 650K+ email subscribers. Join him in this episode to learn how he grew his user base from 0 to 650K+!


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Derek discuss taking lessons from building community, how to curate the perfect service, how to monetize your user list, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:43: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:08: Introduction to Derek - founder at Remote Jobs
  • 04:30: Growing your email list when you have 0 internet presence
  • 10:23: Derek's lessons from organizing meetups & community
  • 15:14: Lessons from 10+ years of building community
  • 22:32: How to juggle a side project with a full-time job
  • 29:37: Employee mode vs founder mode
  • 37:30: How to grow your user base using curation
  • 46:20: Breaking the tipping point of users to get to exponential growth
  • 48:22: Hacks to grow a user list from 0
  • 52:10: Common mistakes when building a user list
  • 1:01:20: How to monetize your newsletter
  • 1:08:07: Derek's new and upcoming projects
  • 1:11:43: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Playbook: https://www.playbook.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Derek:

  • Twitter: https://x.com/derkolstad
  • Remote Jobs: https://remotejobs.com/
  • Daily UI: https://x.com/dailyui

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 14 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Dani Grant - Why falling in love with your users and the problem you're solving is a differentiator!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Dani Grant is the CEO of Jam, a dev tools startup helping 30K+ improve their bug reporting process, backed by executives from Apple, GitHub, and Pager Duty, and VCs such as Village Global (LPs include Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos). Before Jam, Dani was an early product manager at Cloudflare, where she worked on core developer products such as 1.1.1.1 (now used by 10 million+ people). She also worked as a VC at Union Square Ventures.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 24,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. He recently sold his second SaaS product, GuestLab, and he is working on a startup idea while hosting this show.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Dani discuss taking product-led startups, relaunching your product, building distribution, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:56: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:21: Introduction to Dani Grant - founder at Jam.dev
  • 06:46: How non-technical teams complete demos at Jam.dev
  • 08:36: Dani's journey from product manager to venture capital to founder
  • 12:08: Dani's innate purpose behind Jam.dev
  • 14:23: What was Dani's push to start Jam.dev?
  • 17:13: What Dani would build if not Jam.dev
  • 18:34: How founders should choose a business idea
  • 22:07: Discussing problems vs solutions with customers
  • 25:35: How to retain unsatisfied customers
  • 27:28: How to test out a messy product without alienating customers
  • 30:55: 5 biggest lessons of launching a product
  • 37:34: Ship fast vs ship perfect
  • 40:57: How product-led thinking made Jam.dev
  • 45:55: How to build distribution for your startup
  • 48:14: How Jam.dev grew through podcasting
  • 50:00: Playing long-term games in the startup world
  • 52:53: The lowest point for Jam.dev in 4 years
  • 56:00: Hiring strategies that worked for Jam.dev
  • 59:00: How Dani raised $12M in venture funding
  • 1:02:20: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Irtefa, Jam.dev - https://jam.dev/blog/author/irtefa/
  • 140+ Business Ideas You Can Launch Tomorrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn5HcjucwY0
  • The Mom Test: https://www.momtestbook.com/
  • Paul Graham, "How Not to Die": https://paulgraham.com/die.html
  • Seth Godin: https://seths.blog/

👉🏼 Where to find Dani:

  • Website: https://jam.dev/
  • Jam.dev's pitch deck: https://deck.jam.dev/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedanigrant
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danigrant
  • Blog: https://jam.dev/blog/author/dani/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Derek Sivers - How to reframe your life using ideas and beliefs as tools!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Derek Sivers is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, known for his surprising quotable insights and pithy succinct writing style. Formerly a musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown, he sold his first company, CD Baby, for $22 million and gave all the money to charity. Sivers' books (How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, Anything You Want, Useful Not True) and newest projects are at his website: sive.rs


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Derek discuss taking scary leaps, why beliefs are better than truths, how to pick your next move, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 01:00: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:27: Introduction to Derek Sivers - founder, musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown
  • 04:30 Why Derek wears a daily uniform (and no, it's not to imitate Steve Jobs)
  • 15:51: Why is Derek obsessed with change?
  • 19:06: How to pick your next move
  • 22:43: How to move on from what you love
  • 32:15: What Americans can learn from traveling the world
  • 39:30: Derek's bucket list of countries
  • 44:04: Derek on parenting
  • 53:10: Turning a hook into a book
  • 1:01:13: Useful beliefs vs the truth
  • 1:13:10: Derek's beliefs that take him to action
  • 1:18:10: The philosophies that drive Derek to create
  • 1:20:43: Derek's first scary moment
  • 1:27:00: Deleted scenes from "Useful Not True"
  • 1:34:33: What Derek is struggling with right now
  • 1:38:09: Derek's practices to improve consistency
  • 1:43:40: Rapid Fire 5: From favorite city to best recent read
  • 1:45:32: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • "Playful Parenting": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/160909.Playful_Parenting
  • "The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22925205-the-eternal-pursuit-of-unhappyness
  • "Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Bitches": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60653.Cows_Pigs_Wars_and_Witches
  • "City of Gold": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1588793.City_of_Gold

👉🏼 Where to find Derek:

  • Website: https://sive.rs
  • Derek's book, "Useful Not True": https://sive.rs/u
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/sivers
  • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dereksivers
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrea1996/
  • Contact Derek: https://sive.rs/contact

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 46 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Andrew Rea - Why first-time founders should invest time and effort in building conviction!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Andrew Rea is the founder of TaxWire which automates SaaS sales tax compliance across your finance stack. He accidentally started Taxwire when he was doing fractional work. Previously he played key roles and led growth at On Deck and Party Round. He also built and sold an EV company that made golf carts. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

This episode is brought to you by Sunset. They handle all the legal, tax, and operational burdens when shutting down — making sure founders and investors avoid penalties, reduce liabilities, and immediately move on to what's next. If you're interested in learning more, visit sunsethq.com to meet with a representative for their team. And make sure to mention the Undefeated Underdogs Podcast to get $2K off of your dissolution.



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Andrew discuss building health, conviction in yourself as a founder, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:34: Shoutout to Acquire.com and Sunset
  • 03:50: Introduction to Andrew Rea - founder of Taxwire and fan of rotisserie chicken
  • 05:38 Why Andrew is a fan of rotisserie chicken
  • 12:50: Why founders need conviction
  • 22:40: The first breakthrough for Andrea and his transition to being a founder
  • 31:06: Why we need to take more bets on people
  • 38:45: When founders should focus on growth
  • 45:20: Patterns of unconventional growth at startups
  • 49:25: How to find the problem only you can solve
  • 59:23: Why you should or should not apply to an accelerator
  • 1:01:08: Why founders should pay attention to boring problems
  • 1:07:06: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Link to Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com
  • Regina G. - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpgbx
  • Capital: https://capital.xyz/

👉🏼 Where to find Andrew:

  • Twitter: https://x.com/andrew__rea
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrea1996/
  • Newsletter and Blog: https://blog.andrewrea.xyz/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 4 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Mehul Nariyawala - From selling a $40M startup to Google to building the future of smart home robots!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Mehul Nariyawala is the founder of Matic, where he is building fully autonomous home robots. He previously worked at Nest as a Lead PM for Nest Cams Portfolio and founded Flutter, a company that develops gesture recognition technologies, and was eventually acquired by Google for $40M. Mehul Nariyawala attended The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

This episode is brought to you by Sunset. They handle all the legal, tax, and operational burdens when shutting down — making sure founders and investors avoid penalties, reduce liabilities, and immediately move on to what's next. If you're interested in learning more, visit sunsethq.com to meet with a representative for their team. And make sure to mention the Undefeated Underdogs Podcast to get $2K off of your dissolution.



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Mehul discuss the future of hardware, the immigrant founder experience, how hardware and software are similar, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:49: Shoutout to Acquire.com and Sunset
  • 04:04: Introduction to Mehul - founder of Matic, fully autonomous home robots
  • 06:21: Why Mehul loves robots
  • 18:00: How to find a boring, unsexy, and profitable problem
  • 25:30: How Y Combinator startups have changed from 2012 to 2024
  • 30:40: Mehul's funniest story from Y Combinator
  • 34:11: How Mehul transitioned from Flutter to Google to Matic
  • 40:51: The story of Google Glass
  • 43:55: What Tony Fadell, founder of Nest, taught Mehul
  • 46:10: What software and hardware have in common
  • 49:45: Mehul's immigrant journey
  • 54:23: The importance of Silicon Valley in building the future
  • 58:14: Taking Matic Robots from 0 to 1
  • 1:05:07: How to manage anxiety and panic as a founder
  • 1:11:30: The future of Matic
  • 1:16:15: Where hardware is heading next
  • 1:20:45: Advice for hardware founders
  • 1:22:32: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Link to Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com
  • Paul Graham: https://www.paulgraham.com/
  • Tony Faddell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fadell
  • Gusto: https://gusto.com/
  • Rescale: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/rescale
  • Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/
  • John Collison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Collison
  • PlanGrid: https://construction.autodesk.com/products/plangrid/
  • Meta Raven: https://www.meta.com/experiences/pcvr/1173079702739172/
  • Scott Belsky: https://www.scottbelsky.com/
  • Notion: https://www.notion.so/
  • Figma: https://www.figma.com/
  • Dylan Field: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield

👉🏼 Where to find Mehul:

  • Matic: https://maticrobots.com/
  • Twitter: https://x.com/mehul?lang=en
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehulnariyawala/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 25 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Phil Lakin - How an enterprise no-code startup went from zero to one to Zapier acquisition!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Philip Lakin is the co-founder and CEO of NoCodeOps, a community and automation management platform (Operator) dedicated to supporting operations professionals that are reimagining the future of internal innovation with no-code. He was previously the Solutions Architect for National Operations at Compass where he built the onboarding program for over 15,000 real estate agents across the United States. He has more than 8 years of experience in operations, internal system implementation, field marketing, and onboarding.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

This episode is brought to you by Sunset. They handle all the legal, tax, and operational burdens when shutting down — making sure founders and investors avoid penalties, reduce liabilities, and immediately move on to what's next. If you're interested in learning more, visit sunsethq.com to meet with a representative for their team. And make sure to mention the Undefeated Underdogs Podcast to get $2K off of your dissolution.



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Phil discuss how to the best nocode tools, how to sell your company, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 01:25: Shoutout to Acquire.com and Sunset
  • 04:43: Introduction to Phil Lakin - co-founder and CEO of NoCodeOps
  • 10:22: How acting led Phil to the world of no-code
  • 15:30: What Phil would tell his beginner no-code self
  • 19:30: Phil's 0 to 1 journey to building NoCodeOps and raising $5M+
  • 26:00: Why Phil loves no-code
  • 31:10: How no-code fits into today's tech stack
  • 37:10: Predictions for the future of no-code and the best no-code tools
  • 45:25: The downsides of AI and no-code
  • 52:55: The journey: going from founding NoCodeOps to being acquired by Zapier
  • 56:16: What's next for Zapier with Phil as Head of Enterprise Innovation?
  • 59:49: Advice for younger founders
  • 1:04:31: How to balance being a parent and a founder
  • 1:08:59: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Link to Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com
  • Butternut AI: https://butternut.ai/
  • Butternut AI Podcast Episode: https://undefeatedunderdogs.com/60

👉🏼 Where to find Phil:

  • NoCodeOps: https://www.nocodeops.com/about-us
  • Twitter: https://x.com/philiplakin
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-lakin

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 11 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Blake Emal - How to convert people browsing your website into people buying your product!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Blake Emal is the CEO and founder behind Pagetear. He is the 10-year marketer behind Marketing Monday and has been an SEO Specialist, agency manager, marketing leader at a $10B tech co, and ex-CMO of Copy.ai. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

This episode is brought to you by Sunset. They handle all the legal, tax, and operational burdens when shutting down — making sure founders and investors avoid penalties, reduce liabilities, and immediately move on to what's next. If you're interested in learning more, visit sunsethq.com to meet with a representative for their team. And make sure to mention the Undefeated Underdogs Podcast to get $2K off of your dissolution.



👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Blake discuss how to convert your landing page visitors into buyers, the art of landing pages, how to blend AI and design, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 01:00: Shoutout to Acquire.com and Sunset
  • 04:18: Introduction to Blake Emal - landing page whiz and CEO and founder behind Pagetear!
  • 05:38: How SaaS landing pages have evolved
  • 08:13: How to differentiate yourself in landing page design
  • 14:21: How websites can use AI for better copy and design
  • 17:21: How to bring the human touch to copywriting
  • 21:00: How to make the best first impression with your landing page
  • 25:19: The best landing page triggers to purchase for a customer
  • 29:04: How to balance SEO and emotional writing on your landing page
  • 31:46: Blake's secret tips to improve landing page conversions
  • 34:05: How to organize your landing page to increase conversions
  • 40:13: What Blake is going to recommend to his next client
  • 45:33: How Blake balances being a founder with being a copywriter
  • 51:11: What is working for people trying to build their personal brands on social media?
  • 58:55: The next iteration for growing on social media
  • 59:43: If Blake started Pagetear again, what would he change?
  • 1:02:30: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
  • Link to Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com

👉🏼 Where to find Blake:

  • Website: https://blakeemal.com/
  • Pagetear: https://pagetear.com/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyblake
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uxblake

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
  • Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Pritika Mehta - How you can build a dream website using a simple prompt with Butternut AI in 20secs!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Pritika Mehta is the founder of Butternut AI, an AI-based website builder. After having earned her first dollar on the internet when she was 14, Butternut is her third startup, having built Mindbatteries (acquired), and SockSoho (YC S20), which went from 0 to millions in ARR in 18 months. She is also a TEDx speaker, having spoken at Wilmington Women about focus, failure, and the future of work. In addition, she is an advisor to Innovation Mission Punjab ($30M Startup Seed fund), has built  Kiddycoders to bring young kids into STEM, and is running a merit scholarship program for underprivileged girls in India. Her other projects include a 10,000+ member community of pet parents over WhatsApp. 


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Pritika discuss the AI wave, going from D2C to software, being an immigrant founder, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:16: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 02:42: Introduction to Pritika Mehta - founder at Butternut AI, TEDX speaker, scholarship creator, and more!
  • 07:22: The common traits of founders
  • 08:45: Going from software to D2C to software
  • 13:45: Destroying self-doubt in a new industry
  • 15:45: How to validate your product idea
  • 17:45: Getting into Y Combinator with a sock company
  • 19:15: The impact of Y Combinator
  • 21:10: The story of Butternut AI
  • 25:07: Pritika's favorite website built on Butternut AI
  • 25:40: Behind the scenes at Butternut AI
  • 28:00: The future of Butternut AI
  • 30:26: The ultimate vision for Butternut AI
  • 32:31: Which domains will remain untouched by AI?
  • 33:30: Pritika's backups if she wasn't working on Butternut AI
  • 38:02: Where is the Indian startup ecosystem heading?
  • 41:34: What Pritika looks for in founders she's investing in
  • 43:37: Lessons learned from SockSoho
  • 45:55: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Magic: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/magic-2
  • PartnerHQ: https://www.partnerhq.com/
  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Pritika:

  • Website: https://pritikamehta.com/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/pritika_mehta
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritikam/
  • Butternut AI: https://butternut.ai/
  • SockSoho: https://socksoho.com/
  • Kiddycoders: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/india-coding-children-opportunity/
  • TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APPRZcGkFIU
  • BBC: https://wspartners.bbc.com/clip/p07sr603
  • TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/31/fashion-brand-socksoho-is-using-data-science-in-a-bid-to-become-the-uniqlo-of-india/
  • The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/are-children-being-introduced-to-coding-too-early-in-life/article62106966.ece
  • WEF Economic Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91KzyE6V5So

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
47 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
Hiten Shah - How startups are building a future using AI that is fully inspired by our past!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Hiten Shah (268K followers on Twitter!) has been building and writing about SaaS businesses for 20+ years. He is currently the CEO and Co-founder at Nira and is the ex-founder at CrazyEgg and KISSmetrics.


👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for being the first sponsor of The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Hiten discuss the AI wave, figuring out your niche, launching a podcast, and more!
 
👉🏼 Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Episode Highlight
  • 00:43: Shoutout to Acquire.com
  • 03:08: Introduction to Hiten Shah - multi-founder for 20 years!
  • 04:32: Creating your own podcast and what to keep in mind
  • 09:56: Advice to people starting their own podcasts
  • 14:17: "Record the show and they will come" - how this can work and how it can go terribly wrong
  • 22:00: How to figure out your audience
  • 22:46: How to create a startup in a crowded market
  • 31:54: Where to create your AI startup in 2024
  • 34:24: Reality vs deepfakes: when will we be unable to distinguish between the two?
  • 48:17: How Hiten's father influenced his life philosophy
  • 53:17: How to decide your identity
  • 56:10: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

  • Airchat: https://www.air.chat/
  • Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin
  • Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

👉🏼 Where to find Hiten:

  • Website: https://hitenism.com/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/hnshah?
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hnshah
  • Nira: https://nira.com/

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
  • Website: https://5harath.com/
  • Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
Show more...
1 year ago
56 minutes

The Undefeated Underdogs
The Undefeated Underdogs is a podcast unpacking the underdog stories you never heard of! It highlights the underdog mentality and brings authentic conversations with people who play the long game, take action with a chip on their shoulders, and convert obstacles into opportunities! Buckle up, as I will be bringing some authentic founders, VCs, community builders, and content creators who got underestimated their whole life, and yet they beat the odds and became insanely successful!