"1 to 100" | Hypergrowth Startups Worth Joining

This week, Usman Hanif is joined by Sapien co-founders Ron Nachum, Pranav Ravella, and Arya Grayeli to talk about their journey from college dropouts to securing $8.7M in seed funding, creating the first fully autonomous "shadow CFO" for enterprise teams, and attempting to revolutionize financial decision-making for major companies using AI. — 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod Unpack Pricing Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg — Highlights from the episode: Sapien is building an AI "shadow CFO" that can proactively analyze company data and surface insights, transforming how financial decisions are made The team has developed proprietary technology to parse and understand complex financial data across multiple sources, creating a unified "company representation" Their early success includes catching a $10M error for a major manufacturer, demonstrating the immediate value their system can provide — SPONSORS: 📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at https://carta.com/investors/ GiveWell GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine — LINKS: Sapien: https://getsapien.com — FOLLOW ON X: @RonNachum (Ron) @pranavravella (Pranav) @AryaGrayeli (Arya) @getsapien (Sapien) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

This week, Usman Hanif down with Jared Quincy Davis, Co-founder and CEO of Foundry, an AI cloud platform designed to orchestrate the world's compute capacity, to discuss the challenges of GPU utilization, the economics of AI infrastructure, and how Foundry is making cutting-edge AI capabilities more accessible, while also exploring the future of AI democratization and cloud infrastructure. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/d3441594-c9c9-4068-be6e-4ad136aac346 — 🙏  Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod Unpack Pricing Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg — SPONSORS: 📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at https://carta.com/investors/ — LINKS: Foundry: https://mlfoundry.com — FOLLOW ON X: @jaredq_l (Jared) @mlfoundry (Foundry) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

In this episode of 1 to 100, Usman Hanif speaks again with Ankur Goyal, Founder and CEO of Braintrust, about the company's Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, its product development strategy, and hiring needs. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/75dc81b1-1320-4809-80b0-4b0bb28b085b — 🙏  Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Unpack Pricing Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg — SPONSORS: 📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at https://carta.com/investors/ 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://www.notion.com/product/ai?utm_source=podcasts&utm_medium=upstreampod   — LINKS: Martin Casado from a16z: Investing in Braintrust: https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-braintrust/ Braintrust: https://www.braintrust.dev/ — FOLLOW ON X: @ankrgyl (Ankur) @braintrustdata (Braintrust) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

In this episode of 1 to 100, Usman Hanif is joined by Dan Wright, Founder and CEO of Armada, who discusses how his company is revolutionizing edge computing, bridging the digital divide, and building scalable, mission-critical infrastructure for remote data processing and application deployment. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/90adf2d2-cec3-4397-8270-f37f6685d3ac — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess   — SPONSORS: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine 📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at carta.com/investors. — LINKS: Armada: https://www.armada.ai/ — FOLLOW ON X: @danwrightSF (Dan) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

In this episode of 1 to 100, host Usman Hanif sits down with Matt McKinney, Co-founder and CEO of Loop, a company transforming the $2T freight supply chain industry with AI-powered data solutions that enhance visibility and automate decision-making. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/6b8cd4bb-2d50-4dd1-bf00-08fd97ecfa7d — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess   — SPONSORS: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine 📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at carta.com/investors. 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod   — LINKS: Loop: https://www.loop.com/ — FOLLOW ON X: @mattlmckinney (Matt) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

Usman Hanif interviews Neal Jean, founder and CEO of Beacons, discussing the company's journey from a simple link-in-bio tool to a comprehensive platform for creators. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/111595a8-c44e-4b5b-b98f-889678679d44  — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess   — SPONSORS: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine  📑Discover Carta, the innovative end-to-end accounting platform revolutionizing private fund management with streamlined operations and on-demand insights. Experience the new standard at carta.com/investors. 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod   — LINKS: Beacons: https://beacons.ai/  — FOLLOW ON X: @nealjean1 (Neal) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

In this episode of 1 to 100, Usman Hanif sits down with Cornelius Schmitt, Co-founder and CEO of Zellerfeld, a pioneering technology company that produces entire 3D-printed shoes at the push of a button. Schmitt shares his journey from working out of his dorm room to developing the first fully 3D-printed shoe company, now backed by Founders Fund. He discusses Zellerfeld's collaborations with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Moncler, highlighting how they meet the highest product standards in the industry. Schmitt also delves into his techno-optimist vision, explaining why footwear is just the beginning for Zellerfeld and how 3D printing technology can advance our broader technological capabilities. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last  Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- SPONSOR: ORACLE Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine -- LINKS: Zellerfeld: http://www.zellerfeld.com -- X : @Zellerfella (Cornelius) @TheZellerfelds (Zellerfeld) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:40) Introducing Zellerfeld (02:23) Founding story of Zellerfeld (06:23) Challenges and innovations in 3D printing (09:11) Advancements in 3D printing technology (15:59) Sponsor: WorkOs (17:06) Starting from scratch (19:24) Revolutionizing footwear manufacturing (25:04) Future of 3D printing and custom footwear (31:02) Benefits of 3D printed shoes (36:46) Timelessness of footwear (38:56) Health benefits of custom shoes (40:35) Collaborations with luxury brands (46:45) Celebrity endorsements and influence (54:49) Competitors in 3D printed footwear (59:05) Building a passionate team (01:03:31) How to get Zellerfeld shoes (01:09:56) Wrap

In this episode of 1 to 100, host Usman Hanif is joined by Ankur Goyal, Founder and CEO at Braintrust, an enterprise-grade stack for building AI products, from evals to logging to data management. Ankur shares insights on product development strategy in the AI era, getting backed by the likes of Elad Gil and Greylock, and how he sees the future of AI development. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last  Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- SPONSOR: ORACLE Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine -- LINKS: Braintrust: https://www.braintrust.dev/ -- X : @ankrgyl (Ankur) @braintrustdata (Braintrust) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (02:03) Overview of Braintrust (02:58) Challenges in building AI products (04:24) Braintrust's core product (07:10) Killer feature of Braintrust (10:17) Hard part about evals (11:45) Primary challenges of the company (13:54) Golden data sets and their importance (17:57) Complexities of LLM applications (24:03) Sponsor: WorkOs (25:10) Moats for a company (28:09) Lessons from Impira and Figma (32:55) Building relationships in the Valley (35:24) Identifying and solving core problems (37:18) Balancing customer feedback and product vision (40:37) Hiring and building a strong team (50:28) Future of AI development (56:28) Wrap

In this episode of 1 to 100, Usman Hanif sits down with Vignan Velivela, Co-founder and CEO at AtoB, a fintech company that provides solutions for the trucking industry. AtoB is focused on building a modern infrastructure for the trucking industry, with a mission to reduce energy usage, improve financial stability for small businesses, and create a more level playing field. Usman and Vignan also discuss the origin of AtoB, the challenges faced, and the exciting future ahead for this hypergrowth startup.  🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last  Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- SPONSOR: ORACLE Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine -- LINKS: AtoB: https://www.atob.com/ AtoB Careers:  https://jobs.lever.co/atob/b8ede289-e5b9-43ad-8aa5-420260832e6c https://jobs.lever.co/atob/b36a0682-a441-45ae-89cc-caf57d5ce241 EMAIL: [email protected] -- X : @vignanv8 (Vignan) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:26) Overview of AtoB (02:30) AtoB's origin story (07:26) Product Offerings (08:39) Unique fleet card system (13:33) Building on open loop networks (16:54) Sponsor: WorkOs (18:01) Challenges and innovations (21:30) Difficulties on using Visa and Mastercard (26:21) Solving the fraud detection problem (32:41) Importance of real-time payments (36:26) Building a modern payment infrastructure (39:19) Founders' background and vision (46:30) Engaging with truck drivers and early customers (49:19) Attracting investors and scaling the business (53:17) Future plans and team expansion (57:15) Wrap

In this episode of 1 to 100, Usman Hanif sits down with Brendan Foody, Co-founder and CEO at Mercor, an AI-powered platform that automates the hiring process. Mercor has grown from zero to mid seven-figure revenue in just one year, working with top foundation model and AI companies. Brendan and Usman discuss the technical challenges and groundbreaking technologies behind their AI vetting process, exploring multimodal models, and its future expansion into various roles and domains. They discuss the massive market opportunity Mercor is going after 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: www.turpentinenetwork.co -- SPONSOR: ORACLE ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at  -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- LINKS: Mercor: https://mercor.com/ Why You Should Join newsletter: https://whyyoushouldjoin.substack.com/ -- X : @BrendanFoody (Brendan) @mercor_ai (Mercor) @usygoosy (Usman) @why2join (Why You Should Join) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (02:06) How Mercor automates staffing and recruiting (04:19) Competitive edge of Mercor (06:39) Advantages of Mercor's platform (10:22) AI technology in candidate vetting (14:04) Exploring multimodal models (20:16) Sponsor: WorkOS (21:23) Challenges and innovations in AI-powered hiring (22:36) Defensibility and moat (24:49) Opportunity in the labor market (30:12) How company expanded its hiring services (31:45) Expanding AI models across domains (34:03) Validating AI models for different roles (35:06) Improving candidate experience (36:47) Building a marketplace (41:41) Leveraging international talent (45:41) Founding team and early challenges (50:15) Future plans and hiring (52:28) Wrap