Podcasts in Seattle
Shows
Russell Benaroya
Russell has been a Seattle area healthcare and technology entrepreneur for a long time and has a background in corporate finance and private equity. In 2018-2019, Russell re-architected his life and moved abroad with his family to Costa Rica. That posed an interesting challenge. He needed a profession that he could perform from outside the United States while also tapping into his passion of supporting other entrepreneurs to achieve their highest and best use. Today, Russell is the co-founder of Stride Services, a national bookkeeping and accounting firm serving over 100 high growth companies. He regularly speaks on boring accounting…
RRussell Benaroya
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Joe Heitzeberg (Crowd Cow CEO) on picking the right idea, validating with strangers, and scaling a marketplace
Investors laughed at the original idea for Crowd Cow. But consumers wanted to buy right away. Now they've raised $25M, grow to 90 employees, and went from selling crowd-funded cows to a complete marketplace. Joe Heitzeberg, co-founder & CEO, goes behind the scenes on his lessons validating and scaling Crowd Cow.
JJoe Heitzeberg
Julie Sandler
Julie is a managing director at Pioneer Square Labs, and runs the firm's venture capital arm, PSL Ventures. Prior to PSL, Julie was a partner at Madrona Venture Group, where she led the firm’s investments in Integris, Poppy, and Julep. In 2013, Julie launched the Seattle Entrepreneurial Women’s Network, an informal forum for women entrepreneurs and startup executives to connect in the Greater Seattle area. She currently resides in Seattle with her husband, Alejandro, and their toddler son and newborn daughter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
JJulie Sandler
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Kirby Winfield (Ascend VC) on shifting mindset, investing in founders, and finding love in the game
Kirby Winfield is a 3x founder with 3x exits who turned VC. But his journey was not all unicorns and rainbows even after his repeated success. He goes behind the scenes on his path to finding love in the game, what he looks for in startups, and his unique approach to investing in founders at Ascend.vc.
KKirby Winfield
Startup CEOs optimistic despite pandemic; Amazon moves into virtual travel
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: The results are in from the first-ever GeekWire 200 CEO Insights survey and they may surprise you. Startup CEOs in Seattle are generally optimistic about the state of the economy for the next 18 months. And they have some thoughts on who should be president. Amazon's latest offering is virtual tourism through its new Amazon Explore service. GeekWire's Todd Bishop went for a walk around Quebec City with a local guide and took a cooking lesson in Buenos Aires, all without leaving the office. Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff jumps…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
TTaylor Soper
Adam Wray
Adam Wray is a cloud enterprise technology entrepreneur and serial CEO. In 2017, Adam founded AstrumU, an AI company created to translate educational experiences into skills that lead to predictable career outcomes and economic opportunity for every learner. With over $13 million in funding, AstrumU is being used by an initial cohort of colleges and universities across the country including the University of Washington, the University of Kansas, and American University. In this episode we discuss the inspiration behind the idea that launched AstrumU, how they are creating opportunity, and changing the way in which education and industry work together…
AAdam Wray
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Matt McIlwain (Madrona) on lessons from 20 years of VC investing, traits of top entrepreneurs, and building a bigger pie
20 years as a VC at Madrona. Headline IPOs like Accolade, Smartsheet, Apptio, Isilon. Invested in cloud before it was cool. 3x Midas list. 3x CB's top 100 VC list. Matt goes behind the scenes on his lessons (from the highs and lows), Madrona's philosophy, and how the best leaders work.
MMatt McIlwain
Snowflake, Madrona and a giant IPO; Bill Gates Sr.; Apple, UW and COVID
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Snowflake, the data warehousing company, came out with a bang this week in its public debut, raising $3.4 billion in the largest software IPO ever. It reignited a debate over the the IPO process and inequality in the allocation of shares when a company goes public. Snowflake's IPO was also a successful outcome for Seattle's Madrona Venture Group, resulting from a departure from its normal investing strategy. We'll explain what happened, and what it could mean for the future. When Bill Gates Sr. died this week at age 94…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
Amazon's ambitious health band; 4-day work week; Convoy hires ex-Expedia CEO
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week. Amazon surprised everyone by unveiling a new health band, the Halo, this week. The device will not only track your steps but also measure your body fat and even analyze your voice to assess your degree of “energy and positivity." But will it protect your private health info from prying eyes? Seattle startup Volt has taken the pandemic-inspired work-from-home plan to a new level by going to a four-day work week. Are Volt employees as productive as they were when they worked five days a week? And what do…
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Vetri Vellore (Ally.io CEO) on context over control, betting on human potential, and finding an uncommon insight
Ally.io 4x'd revenue, grew from 14 to 110 employees this year, raised $26M, and won Geekwire's startup of the year. All that in just 3 years. Vetri Vellore, Founder & CEO, goes behind the scenes on Ally's growth, his business philosophy, and building culture.
VVetri Vellore
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Leslie Feinzaig (Female Founders Alliance CEO) on the business of FFA, finding market fit, and authenticity as an advantage
2% of venture capital goes to women and non-binary founders. Female Founders Alliance exists to shift that balance. Leslie Feinzaig, Founder & CEO, goes behind the scenes on the mission and the business of FFA, lessons in founder/market fit, and leading with authenticity.
LLeslie Feinzaig
Microsoft (maybe) rescues TikTok; downtown Seattle struggles; micro-schools
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week. Who would have thought that Microsoft could be the likely white knight to save social video app TikTok from threats by President Trump to ban it in the U.S.? Trump set a hard deadline this week for Microsoft or another entity to buy the company before he'll block all transactions with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. We discuss what might be behind Microsoft's interest in entering the social media sphere. In latest TikTok twist, Microsoft reportedly looking at buying entire social media giant Trump issues executive order banning transactions…
Real estate in the pandemic
It should've been a banner year for FlyHomes. As 2019 drew to a close, the real estate startup had $141 million in fresh funding to fuel the expansion of its novel home-buying service beyond Seattle to Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles. Then, three weeks after announcing the expansion, the first-known U.S. coronavirus case was discovered in Flyhomes' backyard. The U.S. real estate market froze as the full scope of the coronavirus crisis came into focus, a nerve-wracking jolt for Flyhomes, which was sitting on several homes the startup purchased on behalf of clients. Flyhomes buys houses directly with cash and…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
TTushar Garg
GeekWire Awards Preview: Airbnb cleaning startup Neu
Like many businesses entering 2020, Neu was riding a wave of optimism and growth. With its marketplace that connects Airbnb hosts with hotel-grade cleaners, the Seattle-based startup had found its niche. Just as Neu was joining the 11th cohort of Techstars Seattle to further fuel its success, the coronavirus pandemic arrived and changed everything. The economic fallout was swift, and travel was among the hardest hit industries. "It was a one-two punch that definitely knocked us down a little bit," Neu co-founder Kwame Boler told GeekWire. "We had a lot of momentum going into February. We were developing a lot…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
KKwame Boler
CClaudius Mbemba
GeekWire Awards Preview: Rebellyous Foods
Before the first-known U.S. coronavirus cases emerged in Rebellyous Foods’ hometown, Seattle, the startup was catering to the food services industry, targeting its its line of plant-based chicken products to cafeterias, schools, and other institutions. Rebellyous pivoted, accelerating development of a consumer product it could sell at grocery stores. Today that product is available at 14 mom-and-pop markets throughout the Seattle area. "We really started to re-strategize about who was going to be our customers and who was going to be Rebellyous in a world where we don't go to ballparks and stadiums and even to school for a very…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
CChristie Lagally
Jay Deutsch
Jay Deutsch, the CEO of BDA, Inc, co-founded the merchandising agency for iconic brands with his best friend by striking a deal with the NFL when he was just 16 years old. BDA now employs over 750 employees and has 34 offices around the globe. On this episode, you'll hear why they’re always challenging the status quo and how he’s been leading with transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic. You'll also find out more about his involvement in Seattle’s new NHL team and what philanthropic causes are near and dear to his heart. Jay's obvious passion for this business 36 years…
3 stories show how the pandemic is changing our lives
The world of the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything any of us has ever experienced. We covered three stories this week that give us a glimpse into how the virus is changing our lives: We’ll talk about the new realities of work, through the lens of a Seattle area startup that just ditched its physical office space. Then on to education, with the latest on what classes will look like at the University of Washington and other schools this fall. And finally, sports. For Seattle Mariners fans, “take me out to the ballgame” is going to be a virtual experience…
Madeline Haydon
Nutpods Founder and CEO and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Madeline Haydon, shares her story from humble beginnings and lessons she learned from her refugee parents immigrating to the US. On this episode, you’ll learn how her Kickstarter campaign provided the assurance that she had a good idea, how the odds were stacked against her when it came to fundraising and what the moment was when she felt like she made it. In five short years, Nutpods has grown to the #3 brand in the plant-based creamer category, the #1 selling brand on Amazon, Amazon 2019 Small Business…
Startup Surprise: Funding skyrockets despite pandemic
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week. Despite the pandemic, funding for Seattle tech startups remains robust in the first half of 2020. In fact, funding is ahead of last year. What gives? We consider whether COVID-19 is accelerating some companies into the new economy of remote working, online shopping and more. Check out our list of startup funding to see how companies are doing. Health benefits platform Accolade became Seattle's first IPO of the year, with an initial valuation of $1.2 billion. Headed by Raj Singh, a veteran Seattle startup entrepreneur, Accolade uses a variety…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Ambika Singh (Armoire CEO) on pitching friends, building a dream closet, and learning from others
Amoire is 3.5 year into building the "dream closet" for woman, $5M in funding, 50 employees, 1000s of customers, and moving 10s of thousands of garments. Ambika Singh, the founder and Chief Bosslady, goes inside her process, how she learns, and the obstacles and upsides she's found as a woman founder in Seattle.
AAmbika Singh
Nikesh Parekh
Nikesh (Niki) Parekh, CEO and Co-founder of Suplari, has built a career growing private and public technology companies in Seattle. On the What Fuels You podcast, Niki discusses what it took behind the scenes to execute seven acquisitions worth $430 million and six financings worth $150 million, the types of people he’s drawn to when building a winning team, and how recruiting and hiring have been for Suplari during COVID-19. You’ll also hear him look back fondly on his life-changing time in India doing social service and takeaway some lessons from his “happiness journey” over the last several years. See…
NNikesh Parekh
Built in Seattle with Adam Schoenfeld
Aaron Bird (Bizible CEO) inside the acquisition - how Bizible sold to Marketo
Bizible had 8 years of grinding, $20M in funding, and 1000s of customers. Then a successful acquisition by Marketo. 6 months later Marketo gets acquired by Adobe for $4.7B. Aaron Bird, the former Bizible CEO, goes inside the deal process that unfolded over 2 years - the tactics, the big breaks, and the emotions.
AAaron Bird
Reetu Gupta
After immigrating from India and building an impressive resume, Reetu Gupta founded Cirkled in in 2015. The award-winning, 21st century recruitment platform matches high school students with the best fit colleges and universities, improving outcomes for both sides. On this episode, Reetu discusses the slow evolution of this space and how their platform is doing some much-needed disrupting to the ten billion dollar industry. She also shares some interesting findings on how COVID-19 is going to impact students' higher education plans from a survey they conducted. Hear what Cirkled in is doing to virtually help students make informed decisions about…
Special COVID-19 Episode: Sari Davidson
Sari Davidson founded BooginHead, a baby accessories company, from her kitchen table in 2005 after not being able to find what she needed to keep her son’s sippy cup from constantly hitting the floor. Sari talks about coming from an entrepreneurial family, how she juggled her business with a full-time job at Microsoft for three years, and how BooginHead got picked up by large retailers like Babies R Us, Walmart and Target. She also discusses mask production, growing their e-commerce business during the COVID-19 crisis and how she’s using this time to grow personally and with her family. See omnystudio.com/listener…
