Bridging Strategy and Startups: Madrona Investor Rolanda Fu's Story

In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Venture Partner Patrick Ennis sits down with Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, co-founders of Yoodli, an AI-powered communications coach helping people become more confident speakers. Varun and Esha share their leap from Big Tech into startup life, eating noodles on secondhand couches while chasing a bold mission: making effective communication accessible to everyone. They dive into: The origin story behind Yoodli, (and where the name came from!) How AI roleplays bring "exposure therapy" to speaking practice. Use cases ranging from sales training to doctors having end-of-life conversations. The decision to build in Seattle vs. SF with support from Madrona and AI2. Co-founder dynamics, culture-first hiring, and why they turned down a famous Silicon Valley VC. This is a must-listen for any founder building with AI, thinking about culture-first scaling, or just wanting to speak with more confidence. Full Transcript: https://www.madrona.com/redefining-communication-yoodli-ai-roleplays Chapters: (00:00) – Introduction (02:00) – The "Why" Behind Yoodli (04:00) – Why AI & Why Now (06:00) – Who Uses Yoodli? (09:00) – Building a Category: AI Role Plays (10:00) – The Real Story Behind the Name "Yoodli" (13:00) – Early Team & Company Building (15:00) – Seattle vs. Silicon Valley (17:00) – Turning Down a Famous VC (19:00) – Co-Founders: The Power of Two (21:00) – Building Confidence as First-Time Founders (24:00) – Scaling the Team & Culture (26:00) – Seattle's Talent Pool & Startup Ecosystem (28:00) – Hiring Values (30:00) – Customer Feedback & Boundaries (31:30) – Lessons Learned as Founders (33:00) –  Serial Founders?

In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter sits down with Babak Parviz and Daniel Kelly, co-founders of NewDays, a platform purpose-built for older Americans living with cognitive change to help them reclaim abilities, preserve independence, and keep being themselves. Babak and Daniel share how their experience at Amazon and Google led them to apply AI in the most human way: helping people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with scalable solutions.  They dive into: Why we chose to build at the intersection of AI and cognitive health How to translate clinical science into accessible daily experiences What "meaningful velocity" looks like inside an early-stage company How to balance mission-driven purpose with commercial viability Lessons learned from scaling startups and building impactful teams Why the next wave of generative AI is human-centered, not model-centered Full Transcript: http://www.madrona.com/from-google-and-amazon-to-newdays-why-these-tech-vets-bet-on-ai-for-dementia Chapters:  (00:00) - Introduction (01:22) - The Scale of Cognitive Decline (03:03) - The Search for Solutions & Clinical Evidence (05:22) - Combining AI with Therapeutic Interventions (07:31) - How New Days Works: Telehealth & AI (13:36) - The Importance of Human Supervision (15:02) - Building a Customer-Obsessed Company (18:43) - User Feedback & Impact Stories (21:07) - Business Model & Pricing (22:51) - Building the Team & Company Culture (27:51) - Startup Advice: Velocity & Decision-Making (29:33) - Resource Constraints vs. Big Tech (31:16) - The Importance of Execution Velocity (33:35) - "Bus vs. Motorcycle": Fast Problem Solving in Startups (35:23) - Startup Mindset

In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Investor Joe Horsman sits down with Jeff Leek and Rob Bradley, co-founders of Synthesize Bio, a foundation model company for biology that's unlocking experiments researchers could never run in the lab. Jeff, chief data officer at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and Rob, the McIlwain Family endowed chair in data science, share: •Why a startup the right fit for generative genomics •How generative genomics could reshape research, drug trials, and more •Why RNA is the right starting point for a generative AI model in biology •What this breakthrough means for the future of drug development •Why now is biology's "ChatGPT moment" •What makes Synthesize a true foundation model for biology (not a point solution) Whether you're a founder, biotech innovator, or AI researcher, this is a must-listen conversation about the intersection of AI, biology, and the future of medicine. Transcript:https://www.madrona.com/the-future-of-biology-is-generative-inside-synthesize-bios-rna-ai-model Chapters:  (2:00) – Why a Foundation Model for Biology? (5:00) – The Case for RNA (7:00) – Biology's Large Language Model Analogy (9:00) – Solving Impossible Problems (11:00) – Validation & Testing (14:00) – Balancing Big Picture & Specific Biology (15:00) – Why a Company, Not Just a Lab (16:00) – Has Biology Had Its "ChatGPT Moment"? (19:00) – The Data Challenge (23:00) – Real-World Use Cases (26:00) – How Research Will Look in 10 Years (28:00) – Increasing the Odds of Discovery (29:00) – Clinical Trials & Precision Medicine (31:00) – Access & Next Steps

Fyxer.ai is an AI-powered assistant that helps users reclaim hours of their day by managing their inboxes, writing replies, and taking meeting notes. But Fyxer didn't start with AI. It started with a decade-long executive assistant agency that gave them a treasure trove of data and insight that became the foundation for integrating AI. Fyxer CEO and Co-Founder Rich Hollingsworth joins Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru on this episode of Founded & Funded to share how Fyxer went from $1M to $10M ARR in six months with just 30 employees. In this episode, Rich shares: Why great startups start with real-world pain How there is still room for disruption with email Why quality data matters more than quantity The PLG-to-enterprise playbook that actually works The rowing team mindset that drives their decision-making Whether you're a founder, operator, or investor, this is a masterclass in AI execution, startup focus, and scaling fast without breaking. Full Transcript: www.madrona.com/fyxer-ai-productivity-tools-for-email-and-meetings Chapters (00:00) Intro  (01:00) From EA Agency to AI Assistant (03:00) Lessons from Building Workflow-Driven AI (04:00) Growth: $1M to $10M ARR in 6 Months (05:00) Planning for Success vs. Failure (06:00) Frameworks for Prioritization (07:00) PLG + Enterprise Motion (09:00) What's Broken in AI Productivity (10:00) The Quality of Data Edge (12:00) Hiring: Execs Who Do the Grunt Work (14:00) Building with Family: Founding with His Brother (16:00) The Co-Founder Pitch That Landed Matt (18:00) What Startups Get Right vs. Big Tech (19:00) Founder Self-Work: Execution vs. Promotion (20:00) The Kindest Thing

Thompson and Austin Hay, co-founders of Clarify, the startup that's pioneering the idea of autonomous CRM. Their vision? A CRM that actually does the work for sellers of driving outreach, managing pipeline, and surfacing insights without constant manual input. Patrick and Austin share: • Their journey from Iteratively, Ramp, and Amplitude to founding Clarify • Why the CRM market is ripe for disruption with AI • How Clarify's unique pricing model flips the script (free CRM, pay only when the AI agent works for you) • The concept of autonomous GTM teams and the rise of the Go-to-Market Engineer • Lessons in building culture, hiring talent, and embracing the "beautiful mess" of startups If you're a founder, sales leader, or builder rethinking your revenue stack and curious about how AI will transform the way teams sell, this conversation is a must-listen. 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with founders and leaders shaping the future of technology. Full Transcript: www.madrona.com/autonomous-crm-how-clarify-is-reinventing-a-100b-category Chapters:  (00:00) - Introduction (01:33) - What is Clarify? Tackling CRM Frustrations (02:11) - Lessons from Previous Startups and the CRM Problem (03:47) - Applying CDP Lessons to CRM (04:56) - Why Now? The Opportunity in CRM and AI (05:24) - Overcoming Legacy Systems and the Joy of New Tools (07:04) - Product Vision: Reducing Friction and Increasing Joy (08:44) - Business Model Innovation: Usage-Based Pricing (10:52) - Autonomous CRM: What Does It Mean? (12:12) - How Clarify's AI Agents Work in Practice (14:35) - All-in-One vs. Best-of-Breed: Customer Feedback (16:09) - Autonomous GTM: The Rise of the Go-To-Market Engineer (18:17) - Data Strategy: Intent Data and Customer Insights (20:37) - Structuring Data for Automation and Analytics (22:10) - Team and Culture: Hiring and Building for Success (24:30) - Lessons in Leadership and Relationship Building (25:50) - The Future of Go-To-Market Teams (27:00) - Advice for Founders (28:32) - Embracing the Messiness of Startups

In this Investor Spotlight episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona's Coral Ducken sits down with Investor Rolanda Fu to explore her journey to VC — from playing violin at weddings to advising startups in Chicago. Rolanda shares what drew her back to Seattle and Madrona, how her generalist background helps her spot strong founders across sectors, and what traits she looks for in entrepreneurs — especially in today's AI-first world. If you're a founder, this episode is packed with practical insights into how VCs think and what makes a company (and founder) stand out.

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 What makes teams and products move fast Why "text-to-app" will soon become "text-to-business" Whether you're a founder building dev tools, a product leader thinking about AI-native apps, or a developer curious about the future of your craft — this episode is packed with lessons and foresight. Subscribe and listen now! Transcript: https://bit.ly/4kQWVig Chapters:  (00:00) Introduction (01:40) Jared Palmer's Early Career in Finance (04:40) Transition to Design and Freelancing (07:12) Building a Career in Open Source (11:46) Creating TurboRepo (13:47) Joining Vercel (15:27) Adjusting to Corporate Life (17:37) The Power of Transparency in Teams (17:50) Building a Thriving Team Environment (19:08) Origins of v0 (19:29) Early Development and Challenges (21:38) Key Innovations and Prototypes (22:58) Launch and Rapid Growth (25:32) Navigating a Competitive Landscape (30:02) Future of AI and Software Development

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 lifecycle. In this conversation, Dedy and Rolanda discuss how Qodo's agentic architecture and deep code-based understanding are helping enterprises leverage AI speed while ensuring code integrity and governance. They get into what it takes to build enterprise-ready AI platforms, the strategy behind scaling from a developer-first approach to major enterprise partnerships, and how AI agents might reshape software engineering teams altogether. Transcript: https://www.madrona.com/engineering-ai-era-qodo-dedy-kredo-on-ai-powered-sdlc Chapters:  (00:00) Introduction  (01:12) The Future of AI in Software Development (01:58) Dedy's Journey in Tech (03:02) The Genesis of Qodo (03:53) Qodo's Unique Approach to AI Coding (05:13) Exploring Qodo's Product Features (06:42) Code Review and Verification (08:53) Customizing AI Agents (11:02) Vibe Coding and Code Review (13:27) Developer Love vs. Enterprise Needs (15:33) Enterprise Adoption (17:51) Future of Software Engineering (22:13) Balancing Developer Love and Enterprise Sales (24:05) Advice for Founders 

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 Anagram (04:21) Initial Vision and Pivot (05:50) Challenges and Market Realities (06:54) Customer Feedback and New Direction (09:25) Executing a Startup Pivot (11:31) Cold Outreach Success (14:20) Security Awareness Training that works (18:52) Competing in a Crowded Market (24:48) Enterprise Sales Strategy (27:04) Fundraising Journey (28:54) Choosing the Right Investors (33:32) Advice for Founders (36:33) Future of Security Training

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