The Narrative

My conversation w Alan Pun, the founder of Super Happy Studio. If you’ve seen a viral startup launch video on your timeline recently, chances are Alan and his team produced it. He’s worked with some of the most ambitious YC startups, helping them translate complex products into stories people actually understand.We spoke about emerging video trends, common failure modes, and a tactical framework for founders to think about video storytelling. Let's get into it! Links: Alan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pun-85731935/?Super Happy Studio - https://superhappy.studio/about/

My conversation with Candy Chang, Head of Content Identity at Kleiner Perkins. Candy has spent years inside top newsrooms at Bloomberg and CNBC, where she watched hundreds of founders learn how to tell their stories in real time, often before they became household names. Today, she works closely with early-stage founders at Kleiner Perkins, helping them shape their narrative from day zero. In our conversation we spoke about:Why storytelling went from a nice-to-have to a core founder responsibilityWhat most founders get wrong about content creationThe difference between shiny launch videos and content that actually compoundsWhy “getting started” matters more than perfect qualityHow great storytellers are madeLinks:• Candy on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/candy-cheng-/• Candy on X - https://x.com/MMCandyCheng• Kleiner Perkins - kleinerperkins.com/

My conversation with Kate Lee, Editor-in-Chief at Every. Kate and I have known each other for a while now, and she’s a true veteran in the tech storytelling space. She started in trad publishing as a literary agent before moving into tech, and has helped shaped narrative strategy at companies like Stripe, Medium, and WeWork.Today, she’s EIC at Every, where they're pairing long-form editorial content w a portfolio of software bets and consulting.  In our conversation we covered:her backstory what actually endures in tech storytelling (thinking beyond hype cycles)and how taste and trust comound over timeWhere to find Kate: Kate on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lee-506768/Kate on X - https://x.com/katelaurieleeEvery - every.to

Really psyched to share my conversation with Elan Miller. Elan is the founder of Off-Menu - a creative studio that helps startups and VCs with design and branding. Elan has been in the scene way before it was cool. What I really admire (and frankly envy) is his capacity to read and write so extensively. You can tell that he has really spent time formulating his ideas, and clearly his clients come to him for that same level of intellectual rigour. This episode was shorter than usual, but the insight per word density was through the roof. Hope you enjoy! Where to find Elan: Elan on X - https://x.com/elan_millerElan on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elanmiller/Off-Menu’s website (surprise surprise - its extremely well designed) - https://www.off-menu.com/Elan’s writing (really valuable for marketers / storytellers / editorial humans in tech) - https://offmenu.substack.com/

Really psyched to share my conversation with Maria LaMagna Morales. Maria is best known for leading socials at a16z, and she's now building Press Publish Studio, a boutique advisory helping founders with content strategy and execution (without the bloat of a trad agency!)In our conversation, we spoke about what she learned at a16z, her minimum viable content strategy for founders, why lo-fi storytelling is winning, and the traps founders fall into when they try to DIY.Maria has been thinking deeply about this space for years, and I loved getting her take on all things social, and beyond.  Hope you enjoy! Where to find Maria: Maria on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialamagna/Maria on X - https://x.com/MCLaMagna

Anna is the Head of Content at Scale Venture Partners, where she leads editorial and helps the firm articulate what it stands for.In our conversation, we unpacked her perspective on what storytelling looks like in a world full of AI slop, why most founders feel stuck and what they can do about it, and how to build a personal brand that actually maps back to the business. We also got into how venture firms can use editorial as a wedge, not to chase vanity metrics, but to build trust with a very specific set of founders.Anna is one of the most thoughtful people in content, and I had such a great time chatting with her!Chapters:00:00 Cold open01:06 Anna's journey from journalism to VC08:12 Storytelling in a wold full of AI slop18:33 Why high quality editorial is still extremely valuable20:06 Anna’s minimum viable content strategy37:13 Attracting attention versus retaining trust39:35 Common storytelling mistakes founders make46:24 Marketing for meaningful outcomes52:25 Anna’s content recsWhere to find Anna:Anna on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-shults-held-1975b768/Anna on X - https://x.com/ajshultsScale Venture Partners - https://www.scalevp.com/

My conversation with Rachael Horwitz.Rachael is currently CMO at Haun Ventures. She has spent her career shaping how the world’s most important tech companies tell their story - from Coinbase, where she served as VP of Comms, to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Spark Capital. She was also Operating Partner at a16z crypto before joining Haun Ventures.In our conversation, I asked her about her backstory, her storytelling playbook for founders, and how disciplined, focused messaging can help founders cut through the noise.Where to find Rachael and her work:•⁠ ⁠X: @RachaelRad•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelhorwitz/• Haun Ventures: https://www.haun.co/Where to find Yash:•⁠ ⁠Newsletter: https://foundermodejournal.substack.com/•⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/yashbagal•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashbagal/•⁠ ⁠Spectral: https://spectral.to/•⁠ ⁠founder/mode: https://www.tryfoundermode.com/

My conversation with Sam Bowman. Sam is best known for co-founding Works in Progress, a magazine he started in 2020, which was later acquired by Stripe in 2022. He now serves as the Head of Publishing at Stripe. I was curious to get Sam's take on the value of longer, more meaningful content in an agewhere "going short" seems to be the conventional advice, to cater to our shortening attention spans. We also spoke about his passion for progress studies, why mainstream media dislikes tech, and how founders can position themselves in a world that is increasingly skeptical of technology and progress in general.Where to find Sam and his work: •⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/s8mb •⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/~samb/ • https://worksinprogress.co/Where to find Yash: •⁠ ⁠Newsletter: https://foundermodejournal.substack.com/ •⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/yashbagal •⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashbagal/ •⁠ ⁠Spectral: https://spectral.to/ •⁠ ⁠founder/mode: https://www.tryfoundermode.com/Chapters: - 00:00 AI versus mainstream media- 02:10 Sam's backstory and how Works in Progress was conceived - 06:52 The Stripe acquisition- 20:50 Balancing editorial integrity and corporate interests- 30:18 Why ideas matter- 32:45 Policy making and the reality of government- 34:45 How storytelling in tech has evolved- 45:48 The psychological and objective aspects of progress- 52:42 Advice for founders - 58:34 Book recommendations

My conversation with Ross Matican, founder of Tailwinds - an independent advisory that helps cybersecurity founders with positioning. Hope you enjoy! Where to find Ross: Ross on Linkedin The Tailwinds website. Where to find me: @yashbagal on XOn Linkedin 

My conversation with Rich Feloni. Rich is the founder of RJF Editorial, and the former head of content at Bain Capital Ventures. Chapters: ⁠00:00 ⁠Cold open⁠01:40 ⁠Rich’s backstory⁠04:26 ⁠Going to Fiji to see Tony Robbins⁠9:39 ⁠His time at Bain Capital Ventures⁠10:54 ⁠Misconceptions about mainstream media⁠14:11 ⁠The clash between journalists and founders⁠18:12 ⁠Understanding journalistic incentives⁠23:03 ⁠Shifting to RJF Editorial⁠28:12 ⁠Minimum viable content strategy⁠30:54 ⁠Building relationships with newsletter writers⁠36:04 ⁠The importance of an owned Audiences⁠37:45 ⁠Sustainable content strategies for founders⁠40:16 ⁠Common mistakes in content creation⁠44:40 ⁠Redefining success metrics in conten⁠46:37 ⁠Influences and recommendations

My conversation with Vincent Touati-Tomas. Vincent is the former head of marketing and comms at Northzone. He's currently building his own independent advisory that helps founders with storytelling.Chapters: 00:00 Cold open01:02 Vincent's backstory 11:02 Vincent unpacks his editorial philosophy17:27 The importance of documentation19:11 Common mistakes founders / CMOs make26:09 Humans who have influenced Vincent

My conversation with Christen O'Brien, Partner at Scribble Ventures.  Chapters: 00:00 Cold open07:16 Christen's backstory 11:05 Building brands in VC24:59 Christen's thoughts on content and distro25:11 Mistakes made and lessons learned31:02 Her work at Scribble Ventures38:10 Where Christen draws inspiration from

My conversation with Adam Delehanty, founder and CEO of Ghost.

My conversation with Dean Khan Dhillon, the CEO of fortyiq.00:00 Cold open05:29 Dean's backstory 08:17 From contractor to CEO in 240 days 11:42 Thoughts on in crypto marketing13:23 Minimum viable content strategy, and other tips20:49 Common mistakes on crypto twitter22:43 Future Plans for fortyiq27:39 Trends, and closing thoughts

My conversation with Jaime Novoa, partner at Kfund. Links: Jaime on X: @jaimenovoaYash on X: @yashbagalThe Narrative is produced by Spectral. 

In this episode, I spoke to Jenny Chao, the Director of Communications at Day One Ventures. Links: Jenny on Twitter: @jenny_chaoYash on Twitter: @yashbagalThe Narrative is produced by Spectral. 

My conversation with Nate Martins, Marketing Partner at Foundation Capital. Links: Nate on Twitter: https://x.com/martin_pluralYash on Twitter: https://x.com/yashbagalThe Narrative is produced by Spectral.