Podcasts in Seattle
Shows
James Lazarovits - Co-Founder and CEO at Archon Biosciences
James Lazarovits is the CEO and Co-Founder of Archon Biosciences, a leader at the intersection of materials engineering and artificial intelligence. James brings over 15 years of experience building, mentoring, and investing in deep tech startups across AI, software, hardware, and robotics. Before founding Archon, James was at the forefront of AI-driven computational protein design as a post-doctoral fellow and later research faculty at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, under the direction of 2024 Nobel Laureate, David Baker. There, he contributed to pioneering methods that integrate machine learning and molecular engineering to create next-gen therapeutic…
SShauna Swerland
JJames Lazarovits
V0's Creator on What's Next for AI Dev Tools
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Vivek Ramaswami sits down with Jared Palmer — designer, developer, and founder of Turborepo (acquired by Vercel), and former VP of AI at Vercel. Jared walks through his unique path from Goldman Sachs to Vercel, and how he combined finance, design, and engineering to create beloved developer tools like Formik, TSDX, and Turborepo, and v0. The two dive deep into: Why vertical integration is the future of AI-native dev platforms The founding and launch of Vercel's v0.dev How Vercel is positioning for a world with 700M code-generators, not just 28M developers…
VVivek Ramaswami
JJared Palmer
Reimagining Hiring in the Age of AI and Bias with Humanly CEO Prem Kumar
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz welcomes Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly and GeekWire Award winner for CEO of the Year. With his unique background as both a buyer of HR solutions at Microsoft and a startup leader at TINYpulse, Prem shares how his company is revolutionizing the hiring process through AI-powered solutions that create more human-centered experiences. Prem dives into the challenges facing today's job seekers and recruiters, revealing how Humanly's technology enables meaningful two-way conversations for every candidate within 24 hours of application. The discussion explores how AI can reduce bias in hiring, improve standardization…
PPrem Kumar
Engineering in the AI Era: Qodo Founder on the AI-Powered SDLC
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Investor Rolanda Fu is joined by Dedy Kredo, the co-founder and chief product officer of QodoAI — formerly CodiumAI, a 2024 IA40 winner and one of the most exciting AI companies shaping the future of software development. Dedy and his co-founder, Itamar, are entrepreneurs who have spent their careers building for developers, and with Qodo, they're tackling one of the most frustrating problems in software engineering — testing and verifying code. As AI generates more code, the challenge shifts to ensuring quality, maintaining standards, and managing complexity across the entire software development…
Breaking into Enterprise: How Anagram Landed Disney with Cold Outbound
In the latest episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Vivek Ramaswami sits down with Harley Sugarman, founder and CEO of Anagram, to unpack how one pivot, a flood of cold outreach, and relentless focus on behavior change transformed a niche tool into an enterprise platform serving companies like Disney and Pfizer. From landing enterprise logos off of nothing but wireframes, to outmaneuvering the 800-lb gorilla in a legacy industry — Harley's tactics are a masterclass for any founder trying to stand out in a crowded market. Transcript: https://www.madrona.com/how-anagram-landed-disney-with-cold-outbound-security-awareness-training Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:53) Harley Sugarman's Background and Journey (03:24) Founding…
VVivek Ramaswami
HHarley Sugarman
How Statsig Founder Vijaye Raji Built a $1.1B Product Development Platform | CEO & Co-Founder of Statsig | Startup Project #102
Join Nataraj as he sits down with Vijaye Raji, founder and CEO of Statsig, a platform revolutionizing product development with data-driven decision-making. Formerly a VP at Facebook and head of Facebook Seattle, Vijaye shares his journey from big tech to startup founder. About the Episode: This conversation explores Vijaye's transition from leading entertainment at Facebook to building Statsig, a developer platform empowering data-driven decisions. He dives into his experience at Microsoft and Facebook, highlighting the challenges and motivations that led him to entrepreneurship. Vijaye discusses Statsig's value proposition, differentiating it from existing point solutions by consolidating feature flagging, analytics, and…
Building Biotech in Seattle: Madrona Investor Spotlight with Joe Horsman
What happens when a scientist becomes a VC? We sat down with Madrona's Joe Horsman to find out. In this episode, Joe shares his journey from late nights in the lab to helping biotech founders bring life-changing science to market. You'll hear: Why Seattle's biotech + AI ecosystem is heating up What founders need beyond funding to commercialize world-changing science. Why weekend adventures fuel Monday creativity
CCoral Garne
JJoe Horsman
15 years of the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon, Microsoft, and the transformation of Seattle tech
Fifteen years ago, Steve Jobs and Apple had just introduced the first iPad, Steve Ballmer’s Microsoft had been left for dead, and nerdy online bookseller Jeff Bezos was still getting Amazon settled into its South Lake Union HQ. That’s when we started this podcast. This week, we’re going back to 2010, revisiting clips from the earliest days of the show. We remember what was happening with Amazon, Microsoft, and Seattle’s startup scene, and try to wrap our heads around all the things that have changed since then. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Audio editing by Curt Milton…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
Navigating the Enterprise Compliance Journey with Certivo CEO Kunal Chopra
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz Ashkenazy welcomes Kunal Chopra, CEO and Founder of Certivo, to explore how AI agents are evolving from assistants to true team members. Kunal shares insights from his experience as a former leader at Microsoft and Amazon, and his current venture tackling product compliance challenges for manufacturers. Through Certivo's AI agent compliance managers can automate tedious regulatory tasks while maintaining strategic control of the process. The conversation delves into the distinction between AI assistants and agents, examining the collaborative dance between humans and AI that defines today's implementations. Kunal offers a compelling…
KKunal Chopra
The End of Biz Apps? AI, Agility, and The Agent-Native Enterprise from Microsoft CVP Charles Lamanna
In this Founded & Funded episode, Madrona Managing Director Soma Somasegar sits down with Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, to unpack his journey from startup founder to corporate leader. They dive into what it takes to build a successful AI-transformed organization, how the nature of business applications is evolving, and why AI agents will fundamentally reshape teams, tools, and workflows. From "customer obsession" to "extreme ownership," Charles delivers insight after insight for startup founders and enterprise leaders navigating the age of AI. They dive into: Why business apps as we know them are dead How AI agents and…
SSoma Somasegar
CCharles Lamanna
How Chronosphere Solved Observability in Containerized Environments to Build $1.6B Company | Uber spin-out, 5x Cheap & Impact of AI in Observability | CEO Martin Mao | Startup Project #101
Martin Mao is the co-founder and CEO of Chronosphere, an observability platform built for the modern containerized world. Prior to Chronosphere, Martin led the observability team at Uber, tackling the unique challenges of large-scale distributed systems. With a background as a technical lead at AWS, Martin brings unique experience in building scalable and reliable infrastructure. In this episode, he shares the story behind Chronosphere, its approach to cost-efficient observability, and the future of monitoring in the age of AI. What you'll learn: The specific observability challenges that arise when transitioning to containerized environments and microservices architectures, including increased data volume…
Building AI That Sells: Scaling Smarter with Luminance CEO Eleanor Lightbody
Entrepreneurs often ask: When do I know it's time to scale? Or, how do I lead when I wasn't the original founder? In this week's Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Chris Picardo sits down with Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of Luminance, who shares how she took a promising AI product and built a company culture, go-to-market motion, and product strategy that's scaled 6x in just two years. Eleanor's candor and tactical insights on hiring, selling, and navigating founder dynamics make this a must-listen. Transcript: https://www.madrona.com/building-ai-that-sells-scaling-smarter-with-luminance-ceo-eleanor-lightbody/ Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:29) Eleanor's Career Journey (03:22) Joining Luminance and Initial Challenges (05:46) Navigating CEO…
CChris Picardo
EEleanor Lightbody
week of may 12: Dan Shapiro - Glowforge
We're talking entrepreneurship, production facilities, and acquisitions with the founder and CEO of Glowforge - Dan Shapiro. As we break down the top stories of the week, he also shares how he came up with the idea of a 3D laser printer, how the tariffs are going to impact his business, and what he got wrong about Rover. Top Stories: 1. Glowforge makes production changes Amid tariff turmoil, Glowforge turns to Seattle for new production factory — with help from AI (Geekwire) 2. Tutta Bella expands Kroger deal Tutta Bella ramps up production after landing major Kroger deal (PSBJ) 3…
DDan Shapiro
Innovation in Turbulent Times: Voices from the GeekWire Awards
Recorded live at the 2025 GeekWire Awards in Seattle, this episode features industry leaders navigating a shifting tech and political landscape. Amid celebrations of AI breakthroughs, startup milestones, and community-building, guests discuss deeper concerns: capital flight, regulatory headwinds, and what the region needs to retain its innovation edge. Featured on the show: Ambika Singh, founder and CEO of Armoire (Workplace of the Year winner) Joseph Williams, Washington State Department of Commerce (Public Policy Champion for Innovation) Emer Dooley, Creative Destruction Lab, University of Washington (Geeks Give Back honoree) Laura Ruderman, CEO of the Technology Alliance Aviel Ginzburg, co-founder at Foundations…
TTodd Bishop
AAmbika Singh
JJoseph Williams
EEmer Dooley
AAviel Ginzburg
Customer Obsession & Agentic AI Power Ravenna's Reinvention of Internal Ops
Most startups bolt AI onto old products. @ravennahq reimagined the entire workflow. When we first met Kevin Coleman and Taylor Halliday, it was clear they weren't just chasing the hype cycle. They were pairing AI-native architecture with deep founder-market fit, and rebuilding how internal ops work — from first principles. Their new company, Ravenna, is going after a $160B+ market dominated by legacy players. But instead of being intimidated by incumbents, they got focused, making some smart moves that more early-stage teams should consider: 1) Speak with 30+ customers before writing a line of code 2) Define a clear ICP…
TTim Porter
TTaylor Halliday
KKevin Coleman
AI teammates, a fully remote unicorn, and the new world of work
On this week’s GeekWire Podcast: Microsoft sees a future where humans manage fleets of AI agents — promising to fundamentally change the way companies are run and work gets done. Plus, we dive into the story of Chainguard, the $3.5 billion cybersecurity startup proving that a fully remote company can scale fast without a physical office. And we explore how AI is reshaping everyday life, from travel planning to home repairs. Related stories Meet your new AI teammate: Microsoft sees humans as ‘agent bosses,’ upending the workplace: Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index envisions a future where employees manage AI agents…
TTodd Bishop
TTaylor Soper
Unscripted: What Happened After the Mic Went Off with Douwe Kiela
This bonus episode of Founded & Funded is a follow-up to Madrona Partner Jon Turow's conversation with Douwe Kiela, CEO of Contextual AI and co-inventor of RAG. In this quick chat, they dive into: 1) Why storytelling—not just GTM—needs to be vertical 2) How to build a platform by showing what's possible 3) The tension between "doing one thing well" vs. building the whole stack 4) Multimodal content moderation at Meta & what it taught Douwe This 10-minute post-show chat is a must-listen for founders thinking deeply about where to plant your flag — and when to break the rules.
JJon Turow
DDouwe Kiela
Advising Founders with a Nerdy Twist with Andrew Peterson, Aviso Ventures
In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker is joined by Andrew Peterson, founding partner of Aviso Ventures. They discuss Andrew's journey into venture capital, which is rooted in his experiences as a startup founder and operator. Aviso Ventures specializes in investing in cybersecurity and enterprise infrastructure companies, primarily in pre-seed and seed stages. The conversation dives into the challenges startups face in entering the enterprise market, the importance of offering actionable advice, and the practical aspects of cyber investments. They also explore how the venture capital landscape has evolved, the significance of content in building deal flow, and…
AAndrew Peterson
Sam Heidari - CEO of Lumotive
Dr. Sam Heidari is the CEO of Lumotive, a groundbreaking semiconductor manufacturer based in Redmond, WA. Sam holds a PhD in electrical engineering from USC and previously served as CEO of Quantenna, where he led the company through a public offering and $1 billion acquisition by ON Semiconductor. At Lumotive, Sam is leading a team that's building award-winning programmable optical semiconductors that improve perception, increase computing power, and enable reliable high-speed communication in various industries. The Light Control Metasurface™ (LCM) is a patented, software-defined photonic beamforming solid-state technology. As the first of its kind, it meets essential needs in various…
SShana Squarland
SSam Heidari
Humanizing AI Communication in the Enterprise with Yoodli CEO Varun Puri
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz Ashkenazy welcomes back Varun Puri, founder of Yoodli, for a discussion about his journey transforming a consumer-focused public speaking tool into an enterprise powerhouse. Since his last appearance, Varun has pivoted Yoodli into what he calls "the Grammarly for speech," now serving 50 companies through AI-powered communication training and role-playing scenarios. With candid reflections on the startup rollercoaster—from the challenges of enterprise sales to building a vibrant company culture—Varun shares his vision of "grounded optimism" for the future of AI. This conversation offers valuable insights for founders navigating the enterprise market…
VVarun Puri
Emily Long - Founder and CEO at Edera
Emily Long is the co-founder and CEO of Edera, the pioneer of strong workload isolation technology for cloud and AI infrastructure. She places the highest value on people and bringing diverse teams together to build something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Emily is a tactical and strategic leader who’s proven in scaling operations, fostering strong company cultures, and driving strategic execution. She’s also an unapologetic people person who believes in the capacity of humor and human connection to motivate and empower team members to achieve more. Prior to Edera, she was the COO at Chainguard, where…
SShauna Swerland
EEmily Long
RAG Inventor Talks Agents, Grounded AI, and Enterprise Impact
What does it take to invent a foundational AI paradigm — and then build a company to bring it to the enterprise? In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Jon Turow sits down with Douwe Kiela, co-founder and CEO of Contextual AI and the co-inventor of RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation). They dive into the origins of RAG, its misunderstood role in the enterprise, and how Contextual is redefining what production-grade AI systems can do. Douwe shares what most companies get wrong about RAG, why chunking shouldn't matter, how to think about hallucinations, and what founders need to know…
JJon Turow
DDouwe Kiela
From Angel to Grown-Up Ventures with Peter Mueller, Breakwater Ventures
In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker interviews Peter Muller, founding partner of Breakwater Ventures, to explore his unique journey from Merrill Lynch to the launch of his venture capital firm in Seattle. They discuss Peter's career transitions, the Seattle startup ecosystem, and dive into key areas of interest like AI, fintech, and marketplaces. The conversation covers the challenges and opportunities in Seattle's venture capital scene, the firm's investment philosophy, and promising sectors. Peter also shares insights into raising capital in a tough environment and the necessary characteristics of successful founders. 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Meet Peter Mueller 05:59…
PPeter Mueller
Dropzone's Edward Wu on Solving Security's Biggest Bottleneck
The security industry has a math problem: 12 million job postings, only 7 million qualified professionals. The solution? AI. Edward Wu spent nearly a decade at ExtraHop, pioneering AI-driven security detection. But instead of just alerting security teams about potential threats, he saw a bigger opportunity — what if AI could act as an actual security analyst? That question led to Dropzone, a company that's not just throwing AI at security but strategically using it to solve one of the most overwhelming problems in the industry — alert fatigue. In this episode of Founded & Funded, Edward and Partner Vivek…
VVivek Ramaswami
EEdward Wu
