From Startup to Exit

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to build infrastructure for a world that didn't fully exist yet? In this episode, Kumar Senthil, CEO and Co-Founder of Firmly, shares how he spent five years quietly building the plumbing that lets AI agents discover products and complete purchases on behalf of consumers, all while keeping the merchant in control of their data and customer relationship.Kumar recounts the long, often painful journey of solving a two-sided marketplace cold start problem, being laughed out of VC meetings, operating under NDA for years, and finally breaking through with the just-signed lead for their Series A.In This Episode, You'll Learn:- Why Kumar left Samsung to solve what he saw as an inevitable and global merchant integration problem- How Firmly built a universal API abstraction layer that connects to 11 million merchants with zero code changes required from the merchant- Why keeping the merchant as the merchant of record and preserving first-party data is the core differentiator over Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop- How AI agents infer and auto-generate native API connections to merchants who don't publish public APIs- The brutal two-sided marketplace chicken-and-egg problem and how a breakthrough with a major social platform (under NDA) was the first sign of product-market fit- Why agentic commerce creates a flywheel for merchants, payment gateways, and AI platforms alike- Kumar's raw, honest advice for entrepreneurs, including why you should expect the journey to be harder than you imagined, and why resilience, family support, and financial runway matter as much as the ideaKumar Senthil is the CEO and Co-Founder of Firmly, where he is building agentic commerce infrastructure that enables autonomous AI agents to discover, transact, and complete purchases seamlessly. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Samsung.com, Groupon, Microsoft, and others, where he launched many products and built successful businesses.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we sit down with Praveen Seshadri, former Microsoft executive and co-founder and CEO of Thunk.AI. He previously co-founded AppSheet, which was acquired by Google. Praveen shares his journey from leaving Microsoft at age 40 to navigating five pivots over two years before discovering product-market fit with AppSheet. He discusses how the company pioneered no-code and product-led growth, the importance of customer-led development, and the lessons learned from building and scaling a startup.The conversation also explores his latest venture, Thunk.ai, where he is focused on using generative AI to automate business workflows. He shares insights on the current state of AI, the challenges of reliability, and why AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape how work gets done.In this episode, Praveen talks about:- His transition from Microsoft to entrepreneurship- The journey from multiple failed ideas to building AppSheet- The rise of no-code and product-led growth- Key lessons on fundraising, team building, and customer focus- The opportunities and limitations of AI in business todayWhether you’re an entrepreneur, technologist, or builder, this episode offers a candid look at what it really takes to build, pivot, and succeed in a rapidly changing technology landscape.To ensure you don't miss other episodes like this, subscribe to our podcast!Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this heartfelt episode, Monish Darda remembers Samir Bodas not just as the CEO and co-founder of Icertis, but as a close friend, co-founder, and extraordinary human being. He shares the origin story of Icertis, the trust that defined their partnership, and the values that shaped the company’s culture. Icertis is the market leader in Contract Lifecycle Management.This is a moving conversation about entrepreneurship, friendship, resilience, and the legacy Samir leaves behind.In this episode:- Samir Bodas’s legacy as a founder, leader, and mentor- The origin story of Icertis and an unexpected path to product-market fit- What makes a great co-founder relationship- The meaning behind Icertis’ “FORTE” culture- Navigating leadership through personal and health challenges- Lessons on resilience, purpose, and building a lasting impactMonish Darda is a cloud-technology pioneer and serial entrepreneur with a 30-year track record in the enterprise software space. As CTO and Co-founder of Icertis, Monish has overseen development of the Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform, the leading contract management solution in the cloud. Monish has also led Icertis’ successful deployment of cutting-edge AI and blockchain technologies, which have earned Icertis numerous industry accolades including recognition on Forbes’ prestigious AI 50 List for two years in a row. Monish has a BE in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a former investment banker turns a life-changing personal experience into a startup? In this episode, Preeti Suri, founder of Adventure Tripper, shares how she built a curated marketplace for multi-day adventure travel—connecting travelers with vetted local guides around the world.Preeti Suri is the Founder and CEO of AdventureTripr, a global adventure and wellness travel marketplace offering curated experiences across 50+ countries. A Chartered Accountant, CPA, and INSEAD MBA, she previously built a career in Big Four firms and investment banking before pivoting to entrepreneurship. Inspired by her own healing journey through the outdoors, she founded AdventureTripr to help people improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being through movement, nature, and community.Preeti discusses the challenges of launching during COVID, the role of AI in travel planning, and why curation and human expertise still matter in an AI-driven world. She also shares the deeply personal story behind her entrepreneurial journey and the mindset required to build a mission-driven company.In This Episode, You’ll Learn- How Preeti Suri transitioned from consulting and investment banking to founding Adventure Tripper- The gap in the travel industry around curated multi-day adventure experiences- Why curation and vetted local guides matter more than endless search results- How the company pivoted during COVID and expanded from 5 destinations to nearly 50 countries- How AI is changing travel planning—and why human expertise still provides an edge- Adventure Tripper’s marketplace model and why fulfillment and post-trip support are key differentiators- Why the company focuses on a B2B-led growth strategy rather than traditional consumer marketing- Lessons from building a startup as a woman founder—and the mindset needed to overcome obstaclesBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we feature Aravind Bala, who is the CTO and co-founder of Seekout. SeekOut (https://seekout.io) empowers companies to go beyond LinkedIn in recruiting hard-to-find and diverse talent.  Prior to SeekOut, Aravind spent 14 years at Microsoft as a Partner Engineering Manager. In this episode, Aravind shares the following:From Big Tech to startup leap: Aravind Bala shares why he left a 14-year Microsoft career to build a company “for real,” guided by Jeff Bezos’ regret minimization mindset—and the importance of finding the right co-founder (Anoop Gupta).The first idea (and why it didn’t stick): The team’s original startup, Next.io, explored a two-sided marketplace that used “money as signal” to cut through cold outreach—then hit the classic marketplace bootstrapping and consumer-virality challenges.A pivot born from survival + customer pull: With ~6 months of runway, a side project (“Career Compass”) drew strong recruiter interest, leading them to pivot into *SeekOut*, where B2B feedback loops felt more “debuggable” than consumer growth bets.How SeekOut differentiated vs. LinkedIn: Aravind explains the opening they saw: LinkedIn optimizes for member experience, while SeekOut could optimize for recruiter outcomes—especially by using *external signals* (e.g., GitHub/code, papers, patents, public profiles) and *diversity inference at scale*.When the market turned: The tech hiring downturn, recruiter headcount cuts, and shifting DEI priorities forced a rethink—plus a new reality: in a flooded applicant market, passive sourcing tools can feel less urgent.The “agentic” thesis: tools vs. outcomes: A core debate: most AI “agents” boost productivity (you still control everything), but SeekOut is pushing toward outcome-delivering agents—a “white-collar factory” model where humans supervise pipelines and give up more control to get 10x gains.What it takes to make agents reliable (and monetizable): Aravind breaks down why outcome delivery needs a factory-like pipeline with quality control, why some tasks need top-tier models, and why this shifts pricing from SaaS “all-you-can-eat” to per-outcome economics that can compete with recruiter/agency costs.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailListen to our 2026 Annual Investment Outlook Panel with four top VCs. Get their perspective on the investment climate in 2026 and their plans to invest specifically in AI based startups. See how they did with their 2025 forecast and what their big predictions are for 2026.Tim Porter, Managing Director, Madrona VenturesTim joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently interested in intelligent applications and SaaS, cloud-native software infrastructure, the modern data stack, machine learning, DevOps, and cybersecurity. He is also a board member of numerous Madrona portfolio companies.Sudip Chakrabarti, Partner, Pruven CapitalSudip is a partner at Pruven Capital where he works with companies that are transforming the enterprise, cloud and infrastructure markets.  Sudip's past investments include Exabeam, Heptio, Serverless.com, Datacoral, Spotnana, Temporal, Tesorio and Polly. He had also been a board observer at Databricks, Digital Ocean, Actifio, Mesosphere and Samsara.Kellan Carter, Founding Partner, FUSE VenturesKellan Carter is a founding partner of FUSE where he focuses on early-stage investments in intelligent software in both horizontal and vertical categories.  He currently sits on the Boards of Zuper, Pictory, Avante, Owl, Xemelgo and PDM Automotive.Joaquín Gallardo, Senior Vice President, Tech Banking at Silicon Valley BankJoaquín is a Senior Vice President at SVB, a division of First Citizens Bank, in our Seattle/PNW market focusing on enterprise clients. In his role we helps Series A and beyond clients to scale their finance stack with venture lending alongside global treasury and liquidity solutions. Before joining SVB Seattle, he lived in San Francisco, learned to code at UC Berkeley, and helped to co-found a pre-seed company. Joaquín holds a bachelor's degree in economics from George Mason University. He lives in Ballard, Seattle with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he gets to think about how he wishes he had more spare time.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailWe’re excited to feature Yifan Zhang, Managing Director at AI2 Incubator, one of the most successful AI incubators in the world, born out of the Allen Institute for AI and backed by a newly announced $80M Fund III.Yifan is a 2x founder and CEO, Entrepreneur “50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs” honoree, and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum. Her journey spans building and exiting venture-backed startups, navigating extreme founder adversity, and now helping the next generation of AI founders go from idea to impact.In this episode of From Startup to Exit, Yifan shares:How AI2 Incubator works differently from studios, accelerators, and traditional VCsWhat they look for in founders, and why ideas matter less than resilience and executionWhy vertical, agentic AI applications are winning right nowHow AI startups are shifting from per-seat SaaS pricing to per-task, outcome-based modelsWhat it really takes to survive the founder “trough of adversity” and come out strongerWhy Seattle may be the most underappreciated AI startup hub in the worldThis conversation is a must-listen for AI founders, operators, investors, and anyone building in the agentic AI era.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailJoin us for a dynamic highlight reel featuring short segments from the 2025 season of From Startup to Exit, TiE Seattle’s flagship podcast showcasing world-class entrepreneurs, innovators, and industry leaders sharing candid insights from their journeys. Each mini-segment brings you the essence of these remarkable conversations — from foundational lessons in product and leadership to reflections on how technology shapes markets and culture. We kick things off with Paul Maritz, discussing his pivotal role in Microsoft’s product strategy during the Windows and server era and how a deep commitment to innovation shaped a career spanning multiple iconic tech companies. Next, Jeff Raikes reflects on building transformative software platforms like Microsoft Office and his later work in global philanthropy focused on equity and systems-level impact. Robbie Bach takes you inside the historic launch of Xbox, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at driving innovation within a legacy tech giant. Meanwhile Steve Wood shares foundational memories from Microsoft’s early days as the sixth employee, emphasizing the importance of grit and experimentation in startup culture. We also spotlight Brad Chase on the launch of Windows 95 and the strategic decisions that made it a defining moment in personal computing; Laura Jennings on shaping MSN into a major internet portal; and modern voices like Sabrina Wu, who breaks down the future of intelligent applications and the role of AI in venture investing. Yash Wagh delivers insights from his startup journey with Gone.com and building sustainable commerce models. Ece Kamar closes with a forward-looking conversation on responsible AI, sharing how human-centered frameworks will guide the next phase of technological growth. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, technologist, or curious learner, this highlights compilation is packed with actionable wisdom from leaders who’ve navigated the path from startup to exit.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailJoin us as Team Kymavi, the TYE Global winner, discusses their groundbreaking solution addressing environmental challenges through biodegradable bags, and Team Key Beauty, creators of an AI-driven makeup matching platform for women of color, shares their journey in redefining inclusivity in beauty.The teams dive into their experiences with market research, customer validation, and developing sustainable business models, highlighting how mentorship and the TYE program helped them refine their ideas, build essential entrepreneurial skills, and prepare for global success.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we sit down with Dr. Ece Kamar, Director of the AI Frontiers Lab at Microsoft Research, and one of the leading voices in Responsible AI.With over 15 years at Microsoft, Ece has played a pivotal role in shaping how AI systems are designed to collaborate with humans safely and effectively. She shares her journey from earning a PhD at Harvard University, where she researched how AI agents can become human partners, to leading responsible AI efforts at Microsoft and tackling challenges like fairness, reliability, safety, and hallucinations in large-scale models such as GPT-4.In this insightful conversation, Ece talks about:- How early research in human-AI collaboration laid the foundation for today’s AI agents- The evolution of AI through scalable data, deep learning, and generative models- Her pioneering work on Responsible AI frameworks at Microsoft- The emerging challenges and opportunities in the era of generative AIWhether you’re an entrepreneur, technologist, or researcher, this episode offers an inspiring look into how responsible innovation will define the next generation of AI systems. Tune in to learn how human-centered AI is shaping the future - responsibly.To ensure you don't miss other episodes like this, subscribe to our podcast!Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecekamar/Sponsored by: JPMC Private BankingBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailYashovardhan Wagh is the co-founder & CEO of Gone.com, a Seattle-based circular commerce company giving quality goods a second life through local supply chains. He previously built supply chains for Amazon and other Fortune 100 companies. His mission: to build a national circular economy so future generations can thrive on a healthy planet.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk to Sabrina Wu who is an Investor at the famed VC firm Madrona Ventures. Sabrina shares her thoughts about closed source vs open source, agentic applications and the emergence of multi modal applications. Sabrina joined Madrona’s investment team in 2021 and focuses on sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities from Seed through Series C across Madrona’s core investment themes. She also supports the growth and strategy of current portfolio companies. Sabrina is particularly interested in intelligent applications, enterprise software, and data/AI products.Sabrina and Madrona Partner Vivek Ramaswami author the biweekly newsletter Aspiring for Intelligence where they share thoughts about the future of intelligent applications.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn the final installment of the Microsoft@50 series, we interview Laura Jennings, who was the Vice President in charge of MSN and one of the senior most female executives at Microsoft in her time. Laura was the Microsoft executive who shifted MSN's strategy as a proprietary online service to becoming one of the top portal's on the internet. I worked for Laura and together we bought Hotmail and got into the search business in partnership with Inktomi. In 1999, Laura Jennings launched a new version of MSN with personalization, integrated web email and search which went on to become a top 3 portal on the Internet.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn the 5th installment of the Microsoft@50 series, we interview Brad Chase, who was the SVP in charge of the launch of Windows 95. Later on, he took over the reins for MSN. Brad joined Microsoft in 1987 and was the first product manager responsible for the launch of the Microsoft Office on the Mac. Later he became the Group Product Manager for MS D0S 5.0. Brad negotiated the licensing of the famous Start Me Up song by the Rolling Stones that was used in Microsoft ads for Windows 95.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this 4th installment of the Microsoft@50 series we bring you Steve Wood who was the sixth employee at Microsoft. He was recruited out of Stanford where he completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering. He went on to work at Microsoft's Albuquerque office in 1976 where he had the opportunity to work closely with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. He worked on the FORTRAN compiler before becoming a General Manager. He left Microsoft in 1980 and later joined Asymetrix and found Starwave with Paul Allen. He became a serial entrepreneur starting companies such as Wireless Services Corporation.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailThis is the 3rd installment of the Microsoft@50 series. We interview Robbie Bach, who was the Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft and the founder of Xbox at Microsoft. Before founding Xbox, he ran Microsoft Office and made it into the standard it is today. After 22 years at Microsoft, Robbie announced his retirement from Microsoft effective in the fall of 2010. Robbie has spoken to corporate, academic, and civic groups across the country and in 2015 completed his first book, Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal, followed by the Wikes Insurrection.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailThis is the 2nd installment of the Microsoft@50 series. We interview Jeff Raikes, who was President of the Business Systems Division at Microsoft. Jeff was the one of the senior most executives at Microsoft after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Jeff served as a member of the company’s senior leadership team that set the overall strategy and direction for the firm. He began his career with Microsoft in 1981 and was instrumental in creating the Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications.Jeff Raikes is a co-founder of the Raikes Foundation with his wife, Tricia. The Foundation works toward a just and inclusive society where all young people have the support they need to achieve their full potential. Key areas of focus include reimagining an educational system that creates conditions for all students to succeed; ensuring housing stability for youth; building a fair and representative democracy; and supporting donors and philanthropic organizations in moving resources toward justice.Jeff is the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the foundation’s efforts to promote equity for people around the world.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn this first installment of the Microsoft@50 series, we interview Paul Maritz who was the third most senior executive at Microsoft.From 1986 to 2000, he worked at Microsoft and was on its executive committee. He became executive vice president of the Platforms Strategy and Developer Group and part of the 5-person executive management team. He was often said to be the third-ranking executive, behind Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. He was responsible for essentially all of Microsoft's desktop and server software, including such major initiatives as the development of Windows 95, Windows NT, and Internet Explorer.At JPMorgan Private Bank, wealth is understood to be more than just numbers. It's about creating a legacy, achieving dreams, and securing a family's future. Clients benefit from a personalized approach, working closely with experts in philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, and special advisory services. The mission is to make the financial journey as seamless as possible from the initial meet to ongoing management of assets. For more, visit privatebank.jpmorgan.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailLearn about Simbian,  an AI security company. Simbian is the first security company to accelerate security by empowering every member of a security team, from the C-Suite to frontline practitioners, to craft tailored insights and workflows for their unique security needs - ranging from complex investigation and response to governance and reporting. Learn how they pivoted from providing security for Gen Ai to leveraging Gen AI to creating agents that speed up security workflows and investigations.Sumedh is the Chief Product Officer at Simbian, a cybersecurity startup that builds AI Agents to autonomously handle security operations such as investigating security alerts, hunting for threats, and filling questionnaires. Previously Sumedh was Director of Security programs at Meta, where his favorite project was to measure business outcomes of security. Earlier he was Partner GPM at Microsoft, where he led the product teams for data security products for cloud customers. Sumedh did his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay and MS in Computer Science at University of North Carolina. Sumedh lives near Seattle and enjoys the beautiful Pacific Northwest outdoors.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailListen to our 2025 Annual Investment Outlook Panel with four top VCs based in Seattle and the Bay area. Get their perspective on the investment climate in 2025 and their plans to invest specifically in AI-based startups. See how they did with their 2024 forecast and what their big predictions are for 2025.Tim Porter, Managing Director, Madrona VenturesTim joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently interested in intelligent applications and SaaS, cloud-native software infrastructure, the modern data stack, machine learning, DevOps, and cybersecurity. He is also a board member of numerous Madrona portfolio companies.Sudip Chakrabarti, Partner, Pruven CapitalSudip is a partner at Pruven Capital where he works with companies that are transforming the enterprise, cloud and infrastructure markets.  Sudip's past investments include Exabeam, Heptio, Serverless.com, Datacoral, Spotnana, Temporal, Tesorio and Polly. He had also been a board observer at Databricks, Digital Ocean, Actifio, Mesosphere and Samsara.Kellan Carter, Founding Partner, FUSE VenturesKellan Carter is a founding partner of FUSE where he focuses on early-stage investments in intelligent software in both horizontal and vertical categories.  He currently sits on the Boards of Zuper, Pictory, Avante, Owl, Xemelgo and PDM Automotive.Suman Natarajan, Senior Principal, B CapitalSuman Natarajan is a Senior Principal at B Capital’s San Francisco office, where she invests in startups powering the enterprise, across domains such as cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, data and ML/AI, and B2B SaaS.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailLearn about the founding of Otto from Mike Fridgen, the Managing Director of Madrona Venture Labs where this concept was incubated. Otto is your personal AI travel agent that seeks to be as valuable and insightful as a dedicated personal assistant. Otto offers enterprise-grade travel booking and servicing capabilities through an easy-to-use AI travel agent that autonomously plans, books, and manages your travel, even during your trip.As Managing Director of Madrona Venture Labs (MVL), Mike Fridgen leads the studio's mission to partner with founders from day one to create extraordinary companies. Mike co-founded multiple MVL studio funds that have created and invested in 30+ companies with aggregate funding of $270m+ and a total valuation of $700m+.Before MVL, Mike was the founding CEO of Decide, which was acquired by eBay in 2013. At eBay, Mike was the General Manager of the Seattle-area office and the global product leader for professional selling experiences. Prior to that, he was the founding head of product at Farecast, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2008. Since the late 90s, he has been a founding member of three venture-backed consumer technology companies.Mike is an active advisor and board member of dozens of startups. He is on the LPAC of Pack VC and has served on the University of Washington's Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship board since 2014. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and Harvard Business School.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan Mail2024 has been an incredible year for TiE Seattle’s From Startup to Exit podcast – featuring inspiring conversations with entrepreneurial leaders, innovators, and changemakers. As the year ends, we’re excited to share the Top 4 Episodes of 2024 that you don’t want to miss!The Founding of OfferUp - Nick Huzar: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2234096/episodes/13413716The Founding of Rover & the Vision Behind Pioneer Square Labs - Greg Gottesman: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2234096/episodes/13615903Mega-Successful Exits: Chronus & Ally.io - Vetri Vellore: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2234096/episodes/13899931Developer Joy Through Generative AI - Rajeev Rajan: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2234096/episodes/15463924Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailSmartsheet is a major success story for the Seattle Tech ecosystem. Smartsheet was founded in 2005 as a workplace management system based on a spreadsheet style architecture. In this episode, Praerit Garg (PG) talks about the early product vision for Smartsheet. How, unlike dedicated product management tools like Asana, Smartsheet is very flexible and adapts to a number of workplace management scenarios. PG discusses the new product innovations that Smartsheet has introduced based on AI. As a startup founder himself, PG shares some of the key lessons that he learned in starting a startup.Praerit Garg is President of Product & Innovation at Smartsheet. He is passionate about building a product and engineering culture of innovation that scales, finding simpler solutions to hard problems, and delivering great experiences for our customers.PG has more than 25 years’ experience building large-scale distributed systems and internet services. Prior to Smartsheet, Praerit was a general manager at AWS for identity, access, and directory services. Previously, he co-founded Symform, a distributed internet storage startup which was acquired by Quantum. PG was also at Microsoft for 12 years, where he was responsible for many of the user identity, access, and encryption features in Windows. While there, he led the delivery of distributed systems management capabilities across multiple Microsoft products and was part of the team that built Active Directory. PG is also co-inventor on more than 25 patents. PG holds a master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University. He loves to travel with his family, experiencing different cultures and their food, art, architecture, and history.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailMany of the large language model providers have built their LLM models by scraping data from websites and open source sites. Some have licensed the content like Open AI has done with Reddit. Nonetheless, many of these LLM providers have been sued for illegally copying data for which they have no permission. In this podcast, Adam shares his thoughts on the Fair Use doctrine and various legal opinions on the legality of scraping data to build LLM models. Here's also an interesting article that Adam has written for developing, extending and using Generative AI models.Adam Shevell is a partner in Wilson Sonsini’s San Francisco office, where he co-leads the firm’s technology transactions practice in the city. Adam advises technology companies and their investors at all stages of company development, from pioneering start-ups to leading global enterprises, angel investors, venture capital firms, and other institutions in the start-up ecosystem. Adam represents leading Silicon Valley companies on complex and strategic transactions involving cutting-edge innovations and the launch of new products. By understanding his clients’ products, markets, and business priorities, and by building deep and lasting relationships, Adam provides creative and pragmatic advice focused on delivering effective results.Adam also works closely with Canadian start-ups on their U.S. expansion, fundraising, strategic partnerships, and exit transactions, and with Canadian venture funds investing in U.S.-based companies.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailYou may not think of the State of Louisiana as a software innovation hub but it is doing a lot to attract startups to its state. It has a $100 million seed capital fund to match VC investment dollar for dollar. It is willing to rebate 25% of your software development dollars for software development done in its state. It is alsoproviding sales tax rebates to attract large data centers to its state.Josh Fleig is responsible for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the state, while assisting small businesses with access to award-winning programs and services designed to accelerate growth and elevate Louisiana’s standing as a hub for innovation and high-value jobs.He is an experienced senior executive with over 20 years at the intersections of technology, economic development and education.Most recently, Fleig served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Greater New Orleans, Inc., where he led his team to developing a project pipeline of over $20 billion. Under his guidance, the team engineered strategies to develop key industries across Louisiana’s Southeast Region, with initiatives ranging from entrepreneurship and innovation to future energy and entertainment.Before his tenure at GNO, Inc., Josh was a trailblazer in the growth of Louisiana’s technology industry. Starting with the Jindal administration in 2012, he was the architect of a recruitment strategy that sparked dozens of software and digital media project wins at Louisiana Economic Development. His contributions included the co-creation of the state’s Entertainment Development Fund.Earlier in his career, Josh established a track record of innovation as the Director of Media and Brands at SinglePoint (now Bally’s Corporation). There, he managed publisher relationships for the SaaS business, driving interactive TV engagements that captivated audiences across major broadcasters like CBS, Disney, Viacom and Discovery. His journey into the media industry began at NBCUniversal, where hethrived as a technical producer in interactive media product design, creating hundreds of groundbreaking fan engagements for NBC Sports, Bravo, Syfy, MSNBC, CNBC and more.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailThese days you will often call into customer service for a company whose product you are using and will be connected to an agent with a foreign accent. For many Americans, this can be a challenging experience as they cannot understand what the agent is saying because of their accent. Foreign agents have also complained that it can be a dehumanizing experience. This can result in a low Net Promoter Score for the foreign call center which reduces the revenues they can charge for their services.Soundwave is an AI application that moderates the accents of foreign call center agents. It works as the agent talks into their microphone. Then, their voice goes through an AI model in real-time and returns with a moderated accent. The caller hears the response in the moderated accent. The Soundwave product was conceived of by young high schoolers under the auspices of the TiE Young Entrepreneur (TYE) program. They won the TYE Globals finals in 2024.TYE is a fantastic year-around program to guide high school students to create and launch their first real business. Students are guided through each step of starting an enterprise, from brainstorming the idea to developing a product prototype to pitching to investors. Classroom learning is blended with real-world experimentation and validation, to obtain product-market fit. This program culminates in the regional finals event being held this year and a global competition.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailOn our one year anniversary, we are releasing this terrific episode with Jay Bartot, partner at Madrona Venture Labs (MVL). Jay talks about the model that MVL uses to work with startup founders and vet startup ideas.Like many technology entrepreneurs, over the last 18 months, Jay has been deeply immersed in Generative AI technology, building experimental products, and testing the capabilities as well as limitations of the new AI frontier. Having seen and worked with slowly evolving AI and machine learning technologies over 25 years, his early experimentation with LLMs (large language models) quickly led to the realization and excitement that difficult problems he grappled with for many years (e.g., robust natural language understanding) are now virtually solved. The essence of his enthusiasm for the advances in capabilities Generative AI technology brings to entrepreneurs and startups was captured when he was recently overheard saying, “I mean, holy shit - these things are fucking awesome!”Jay Bartot joined MVL in 2016. At MVL, Jay leverages his extensive experience in software engineering and machine learning to develop innovative, AI-driven software solutions. His expertise extends beyond technical execution, encompassing a spectrum of strategic elements of company creation and building.Journey to MVLJay's immersion into computing began in the late '80s when he was swept up in the personal computer revolution, learning to compose and play music on his Apple Macintosh in college. This ultimately sparked his interest in software development, signal processing, and computer graphics. He quickly discovered the joy and power of building and distributing his own software to his friends and family, not to mention being paid to do what he loved. During the internet boom of the mid-90s, Jay joined his first startup, where he was introduced to the value of data, machine learning, and venture capital. Over the next 15 years, Jay co-founded several data-centric machine-learning startups in various verticals, such as e-commerce, online advertising, travel, medical informatics, and consumer video applications. These startups were later acquired by major companies such as Nielsen/NetRatings, Microsoft, Alliance Health Networks, and Hulu.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailRajeev embarked on his career at Microsoft as a developer after a sabbatical from his Ph.D. to build upon his internship experience in Seattle the previous summer. In this episode, he delves into how his journey and interactions with various leaders have influenced his own leadership style as the CTO of Atlassian.The theme of ‘Developer Joy’ has resonated with Rajeev throughout his tenure at Microsoft, META, and now Atlassian. He elaborates on how Generative AI is being integrated across all Atlassian products, emphasizing this core theme. Given his background as a developer early in his career, this theme holds a special place in his heart. In this episode Rajeev outlines how Generative AI will shape tools for developers and users, particularly as Atlassian expands its collaboration offerings to all corners of the enterpriseRajeev Rajan is the Chief Technology Officer at Atlassian where he oversees Atlassian Engineering, IT, Security and Trust, and the Engineering Operations teams. As CTO, he is focused on our Cloud transformation and continuing to grow Atlassian into a world-class engineering organization.Rajeev previously acted as the Vice President and Head of Engineering for Meta and spent over two decades at Microsoft, where he held a number of roles, including building and leading the team responsible for Office 365's Cloud Infrastructure.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailGenerative AI has taken the industry by storm as we all know. Besides Open AI. a number of players like Meta, Google and Anthropic have announced new foundation models. In this episode, we get Vivek's perspective of the competitive landscape and how it will likely evolve. Will open source models start to match Open AI's GPT 4o in terms of capabilities? We also discuss Apple's recent announcements around "Apple Intelligence".Hundreds of millions of VC money have poured into Gen AI startups but who is really making any money? Vivek gives us his insights as well as the layer of the AI stack that Madrona invests in. Finally, we ask Vivek to make one big prediction for the industry over the next one year. Tune in to listen to his insights and predictions!About Vivek RamaswamiVivek has spent his career investing in high-growth companies across software and fintech. Prior to Madrona, Vivek helped launch the venture capital arm of Steadfast Capital, where he led investments in Zapier, Klaviyo, Lucid, Forethought, Sendbird, Jumpcloud, Algolia, Wealthsimple, and other high-growth companies.Prior to Steadfast, Vivek was a Principal at Redpoint for five years, where he helped source or work on investments in SentinelOne, Nubank, Bright Health, Cockroach Labs, Hashicorp, and others. Vivek started his career in technology investment banking at Goldman Sachs, advising clients on M&A and IPO opportunities in the software and consumer internet sectors.Vivek Ramaswami joined Madrona in 2022. As part of the Madrona investment team based in California, Vivek partners with ambitious founders across enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, data tools, intelligent applications, and fintech. He focuses on helping founders who have achieved product-market fit scale to the next level.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailArtificial intelligence has the potential to be a powerful tool for human progress if properly trained, harnessed, and deployed. Policies must be created to protect personal privacy, nurture innovation, and foster prosperity. The Transparency Coalition (https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/). a non-profit, is focused on creating tools, systems, and policies that hold AI developers and deployers accountable for the legal and ethical creation and operation of AI systems. Listen to the two founders of Transparency Coalition, Jai Jaishima and Rob Elevelde as they articulate the strategy they have deployed to hold developers like Open AI, Microsoft, Google and Meta accountable.Jai Jaishima is a Seattle-based technology entrepreneur with expertise in AI enabled product development and data science. Jai has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a focus on AI/Image Processing/Information Retrieval from the University of Washington. Over a nearly 30 year career, Jai has founded or held leadership roles at four start-ups that leveraged AI/Machine Learning to build software applications. He was CTO at Hitch Works Inc., acquired by Service Now in 2022, which deployed AI/Large Language Models (LLMs) to help employees and their employers take a skills-based approach to work and career progression. Jai was also CEO and Founder at Appnique which developed privacy preserving advertising technology solutions using AI/LLMs. At Microsoft, AOL and RealNetworks, Jai led pioneering initiatives in the digital distribution of music and video content that also ensured that user privacy was respected and the rights of creators and copyright holders were protected. He has also worked for Medio and Amazon.Rob Eleveld hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. After college, he spent 5 years on active duty as a submarine officer in the United States Navy, serving aboard the fast attack submarine USS Batfish. Across a 25-year career in tech software and data companies, Rob is a 4-time CEO of early-to-mid stage companies in software and data beginning in 2000 with Vykor Inc., which he co-founded and led. Over the past 10 years at Whitepages Inc., he served in executive roles and eventually became CEO in 2016. Rob led the spinoff of the enterprise unit, rebranded Ekata Inc. in 2019, which Mastercard acquired in 2021. Rob has a BA in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and an MBA as well as an MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailEnterprise SaaS solutions are rapidly adopting Gen AI technology to solve business problems. Learn about iCertis, a leader in Contract Lifecycle Management and how they are deploying Gen AI technology to offer a number of CoPilots to allow enterprises to gain intelligent insights into their contracts and to perform risk assessments.Sudarshan Chitre brings over 25 years of experience in developing Data & AI products, having worked with leading technology firms including Microsoft, Amazon, and Oracle, as well as several innovative startups. Throughout his career, Sudarshan has transitioned from roles in software development to executive leadership, including that of CEO. He remains deeply engaged in the evolving landscape of technology as an avid learner and an advocate for its practical applications. He holds co-inventorship of more than 10 patents in the fields of databases, data synchronization, and IoT.Currently, he leads the AI Product and Engineering team at Icertis. Sudarshan is academically credentialed with a BS and MS in Computer Science and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and Columbia Business School.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan Mail2023 was a dramatic year for AI with the emergence of Gen AI and ChapGPT. Learn about the evolution of Generative AI from industry leader and expert Joseph Sirosh. Understand how enterprises will deploy Gen AI technology to make their workers more productive. Learn about how Joseph's new company CreatorsAGI will leverage Gen AI to enable creators and authors to interact in new ways with their audience.Joseph is currently CEO of CreatorsAGI Inc, an AI startup dedicated to empowering creators with Artificial Generative Interaction capabilities. He has been an AI leader all of his career, and served as the Vice President of Alexa Shopping at Amazon.com, the Chief Technology Officer of Compass Inc, and as Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of AI. During his tenure at Microsoft, he held product and engineering responsibility for all Azure AI, enterprise database, and big data products. He built Azure ML, the first Machine Learning as a Service platform in the cloud. Prior to Microsoft, Joseph spent nine years as a VP at Amazon where he managed the Global Inventory Platform for Amazon’s Consumer Business, and built the machine learning, data warehouse and Transaction Risk Management teams. Joseph holds a PhD in Neural Networks from the University of Texas at Austin. You can follow him on Twitter and read about what he finds exciting in AI on his substack, Generative AI substack.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailFollow the journey of Vikram Chalana, a Seattle based entrepreneur who started his entrepreneurial journey with an enterprise product called Win Shuttle that allowed MS Excel users to exchange data with SAP. He grew the company to significant revenues and ultimately sold the company to a Private Equity firm. More recently, he has started a Gen AI company Pictory. AI that allows creators to convert text into video that is the leader in the space.Vikram is an engineer turned serial entrepreneur.  He is currently building Pictory to enable anyone to turn their message into engaging videos quickly & easily. He previously created and scaled Winshuttle, an enterprise software in the data management space, to over 300 global employees. He holds engineering degrees from Indian Institute of Technology and from University of Washington. Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailListen to our 2024 Annual Investment Outlook Panel with four top VCs based in Seattle and the Bay area. Get their perspective on the investment climate in 2024 and their plans to invest specifically in AI/ML based startups.Tim Porter, Managing Director, Madrona VenturesTim joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently interested in intelligent applications and SaaS, cloud-native software infrastructure, the modern data stack, machine learning, DevOps, and cybersecurity. He is also a board member of numerous Madrona portfolio companies.Sudip Chakrabarti, Partner, Decibel VCSudip is a partner at Decibel where he works with companies that are transforming the enterprise, cloud and infrastructure markets.  Sudip's past investments include Exabeam, Heptio, Serverless.com, Datacoral, Spotnana, Temporal, Tesorio and Polly. He had also been a board observer at Databricks, Digital Ocean, Actifio, Mesosphere and Samsara.Kellan Carter, Founding Partner, FUSE VenturesKellan Carter is a founding partner of FUSE where he focuses on early-stage investments in intelligent software in both horizontal and vertical categories.  He currently sits on the Boards of Zuper, Pictory, Avante, Owl, Xemelgo and PDM Automotive. Suman Natarajan, Senior Principal, B CapitalSuman Natarajan is a Principal at B Capital’s San Francisco office, where she invests in startups powering the enterprise, across domains such as cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, data and ML/AI, and B2B SaaS.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailEnjoy this exclusive Fireside Chat with Sunny Gurpreet Singh, Founder of Roundglass, moderated by Akhtar Badshah.Sunny Gurpreet Singh is an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Seattle, US. He is the founder of Roundglass, a global Wholistic Wellbeing organization established in 2014. Through his experience in the US healthcare system, Sunny realized the importance of a proactive wellness approach. Roundglass offers the Roundglass Living app, which provides technology-driven solutions, expert-led content, and access to renowned wellbeing coaches and mental health experts. It serves as a tool to assist people in making positive, long-term changes and enhancing their lives.#EntrepreneurialJourney #StartupLife #InnovateAndElevate #BusinessMinds #FounderHustle #DreamersAndDoers #SuccessStories #EntrepreneurialSpirit #GlobalEntrepreneurs #LeadershipLegacy #StriveForSuccess #BoldEntrepreneurs #VisionaryLeadership #InnovationNation #LeadershipExcellence #FutureLeaders #EntrepreneurialMindset #entrepreneurs #foundersBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailWhen Vetri Vellore was given the responsibility to turn around the Systems Management Server business at Microsoft, it was a failing business. In fact, at a business review, Bill Gates famously threw his deck back to him telling him to shut down the business. But Vetri persisted and completely turned it around. Soon Vetri embarked on a remarkable entrepreneurial journey where he successfully started and exited two businesses - Chronus which was a mentoring platform and Ally.io which was a platform for managing OKRs (Obejectives and Key Results). Vetri bootstrapped his first business but raised substantial funding for his second. Listen in to hear the inspiration he got to start both businesses and his thought process behind raising VC funding.Vetri Vellore is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of multiple successful exits. His last startup, Ally.io, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021. He served as a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, and after the successful integration of Ally.io, he recently returned to his entrepreneurial roots to launch another startup.Before Ally.io, he co-founded Chronus, which was later acquired by private equity. He also dedicated 14 years to leading multiple award-winning products at Microsoft. Beyond his business ventures, Vetri is the author of "OKRs for All," a book endorsed by Satya Nadella, and mentors several up-and-coming leaders and entrepreneurs. He is the proud father of two wonderful children and resides with his wife in Seattle, Washington.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailRaj has a common theme with his startups Snapfish and Fitmob. Both of them needed to be pivoted and focus on survival. He found buyers for both and his mantra to founders is to dissolve the ego and make sure your company sees another day to battle. He spent several years at Mayfield and invested early in Lyft and led the autonomous driving strategy for Lyft.Raj is a co-founder and managing partner at Climactic, a venture capital fund focused on climate tech. He was also a strategic advisor at Lyft, former CEO/co-founder of Snapfish and Fitmob (now ClassPass), and a former managing director at Mayfield Fund.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarGuest: Raj KapoorBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailIn 2011, Greg Gottesman had a bad experience leaving his dog for the weekend at a local Kennel. That experience led him to pitch the idea for Rover at a Startup Weekend which he won. That led to the formation of Rover and the rest is history.In our second podcast episode, Gowri Shankar and I explore the foundation of Rover as well as the business model behind Pioneer Square Labs.Greg Gottesman is a Managing Director and Co-Founder of PSL. Prior to PSL, Greg served as one of the three initial Managing Directors of Madrona Venture Group, where he worked for almost 20 years. He also co-founded and led Madrona Venture Labs.Greg represents PSL on the boards of Boundless, Ever.green, Joon, and Kevala. He is also the founder, current board member, and former CEO of Rover.com.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarGuest: Greg GottesmanBrought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Send us Fan MailToday, we have invited Nick Huzar, the co-founder and former CEO of OfferUp for more than a decade. He is currently operating as a board director, brand evangelist, and advising the CEO on strategic projects. Nick's experience lies in building two-sided marketplaces from the ground up. Through this, he has raised over $380M in financing from leading investors including A16Z, TRowe, Tiger, Allen.co, GGV, Coatue, and more. He is currently focused on simplifying the complexity around climate change via my weekly video podcast @ www.stufftv.org. Additionally, he will ride anything with a board (wake surf, skate, wing foil, snowboard..).1 in 5 people over the age of 14 used OfferUp in 2021. OfferUp now facilitates billions of dollars in transactions every single month. They most recently branched out from shopping and now have a marketplace for local jobs as well.Brought to you by TiE SeattleHosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri ShankarProducers: Minee Verma and Eesha JainYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast