How a User-Driven Pivot Led to Product-Market Fit

We’re thrilled to welcome back Feras Alhlou—seasoned entrepreneur, startup coach, and co-founder of Start Up With Feras—for another insightful episode of Startup Success.In this candid conversation, Feras dives into what it really takes to build and scale a successful startup. He shares hard-earned lessons from his own journey, including how to focus on what matters most during each phase of the startup lifecycle and why founders must learn to delegate! And he offers his take on giving back to your team and your community.We discuss:The importance of “outsourcing the headache” Common mistakes founders make when trying to scaleWhy only great things come from networkingAdvice for founders out there who are strugglingWhether you're just starting out or gearing up for a major growth spurt, this episode is packed with wisdom you won’t want to miss.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Resources & Tools:Get the Founder Focus Organizer, Feras’s free newsletter, and info on 1:1 coaching at startupwithferas.comConnect with Feras on LinkedIn or subscribe to his YouTube channel @StartUpWithFeras💬 Bonus: Feras offers free 20-minute “Ask Feras” sessions for founders who need clarity. No pitches—just help.

In this episode, we sit down with Merrill Lutsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Graphite, a breakout startup redefining code review for the AI era. Originally built solely as an internal code review tool, Graphite unexpectedly attracted a huge amount of interest from the developer community, prompting the team to pivot their startup to focus entirely on that tool.Today, Graphite’s AI developer productivity platform is helping engineering teams at companies like Ramp, Figma, and Shopify ship code up to 40% faster.We discuss:Graphite’s remarkable user-driven pivotHow they achieved product-market fitThe highly responsive and scalable user feedback loop that propels their successPros & cons of using AI in software development Startup founders – don’t miss this episode packed with lessons on product-market fit, building for a passionate user base, and driving rapid growth in a competitive space.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Explore Graphite at graphite.dev and their AI-powered code review agent at diamond.graphite.dev.

If you’re a founder gearing up to raise capital, this episode of Startup Success is your ultimate fundraising playbook. We’re joined by Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite and Fundingstack, and host of the How I Raised It podcast. Nathan has helped hundreds of startups navigate every stage of the fundraising process—and he’s sharing his top strategies to help you maximize your next raise.We explore the full fundraising journey—from building a strong investor pipeline to closing the round—and zoom in on how to make your pitch deck truly stand out.Nathan breaks down:How to craft a compelling narrative that sticks with investorsStrategies to target the right investors (not “spray and pray”)Your pitch deck - the essential slides you must includeAnd the #1 mistake most founders make when pitchingWhether you’re pitching VCs or prepping for a demo day, this episode is packed with actionable insights and straight talk from a true fundraising expert.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Learn more about Foundersuite at https://www.foundersuite.com and Fundingstack at https://fundingstack.com.

What makes a co-founder relationship thrive—or fall apart? In this episode of Startup Success, we’re joined by Tim He, Founder of Cherrytree, a company helping startup co-founders navigate the tricky terrain of working together. Tim draws on his personal experience co-founding a startup with four friends and explains how that journey led him to launch a newsletter and private coaching practice for startup founders.We dive deep into the questions most founders overlook: Should you go into business with a close friendDo you really need a co-founder agreementWhy being “too trusting” is often a bigger issue than distrustHow dividing co-founders into technical and non-technical roles can lead to a power imbalanceTim challenges common assumptions about trust, communication, and compatibility, offering a fresh take on how to actually work on your co-founder relationship—just like you would a marriage or friendship.If you’re ready to work on your co-founder relationship, not just your startup, this one’s for you!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Learn more about Cherrytree visit their website at https://cherrytree.beehiiv.com/

What makes a startup board really effective? How do you build one that will truly benefit your startup? How do you conduct board meetings that are helpful and not just a quarterly scramble to put together a deck? In this episode of Startup Success, we dive deep into a topic we’ve never explored before: the real role and power of a startup board. Your board can be a game-changer for your startup—if done the right way.Joining us are Matt Blumberg, CEO of Acrolinx, and Mahendra Ramsinghani, the Managing Director of Secure Octane Investments —two of the co-authors of Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors. Together, sharing the operator and investor perspectives, they give practical advice for startup boards and board meetings that you can use today. In this episode, we discuss:The purpose of a startup board and its role in your startup’s successHow to put together your board - selecting and recruiting the right directors, and how to change that mix as you scaleEffective board meetings - practical advice - ranging from the agenda to slides to seating arrangements -  that will improve your meetings Whether you’re building your first board, wanting to optimize the one you have, or are looking to greatly improve your board meetings, this episode is a masterclass in getting it right.🛠️Grab your copy of Startup Boards for even more insights.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Arielle Lechner, Executive Coach and Founder of NewPo, to discuss the crucial role of decision-making and leadership in early-stage startups. Arielle, a mentor for TechStars and former startup operator, shares insights on how founders can move faster, avoid burnout, and create a thriving company culture.We dive into how founders can distinguish between upstream and downstream problems, the power of thinking like a scientist when iterating, and Arielle’s Lift and Thrust model for balancing team motivation and momentum.Tune in to learn how to:Stop wasting time on the wrong issues and focus on the upstream problemsCreate a culture that propels your team forward even in difficult timesMove away from the mindset and assumptions that limit your startup’s potential to scaleDon’t miss this episode packed with actionable takeaways on how to successfully navigate the hard decisions and complex challenges that come with leading a startup.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! To learn more about NewPo visit https://www.newpo.io/

Finding startup success outside of Silicon Valley is possible – it just requires some ingenuity.We couldn’t think of anyone who knows more about this topic than Rick Turoczy.With three decades of experience supporting founders, Rick Turoczy, GM and Co-founder of PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment), is the ultimate connector and an expert at helping startups turn ideas into reality. In this episode, we sit down with Rick to explore how startups outside of the Bay Area can find support in their community and he gives us an inside look at the fundraising landscape beyond the Valley.We discuss:Creative fundraising strategies outside of Silicon ValleyTactics for leveraging local resources to help scale your startupHow to pick the right accelerator for your startupWhy the lack of easily accessible capital combined with the proliferation of AI could be a perfect storm for innovationIf you're a founder looking to find startup success in your own community, this episode is a must-listen!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! To learn more about PIE visit https://www.piepdx.com/

Join us for a Q1 update! Kicking off 2025, many anticipated a return to the "good old days" of economic optimism, but the reality has been more complex. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Steven Lord, Burkland’s COO, to get a pulse on the startup ecosystem and the broader economic landscape as Q1 comes to a close.We discuss:What’s going on with interest rates?Trends in startup valuations and venture capitalThe latest on inflation and the declining consumer confidence indexSteps founders can take now to be prepared for what’s next AI continues to dominate investment conversations, but we’re seeing a shift toward niche AI applications and industry-specific use cases. Meanwhile, economic uncertainty has created a turbulent environment for startups reliant on government grants and regulatory stability, leaving many clean energy, healthcare, and fintech founders in limbo.Tune in for a deep dive into the forces shaping startup success in 2025, and what founders, investors, and business leaders should watch for in the months ahead -- plus a quick PSA moment on protecting your startup against hackers!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we explore the data privacy considerations that all founders need to address, not ignore, with Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures. Katharine fully understands all the priorities and stresses founders face, so she lays out a clear roadmap for them with small, actionable steps they can take now that will help them down the road with privacy.With an intriguing background that spans from her first job as a parole officer to the early days of data protection programs at Facebook and now her work in venture capital, Katharine is a true authority on data privacy. She “gets” the mindset of founders and knows what they need to do today around privacy and data collection.Katharine offers perspective on:The big dangers of not prioritizing privacy in the AI eraWhy more is not better when it comes to collecting customer dataDoes data mapping solve privacy?What VCs can learn about a founder by how they manage privacyFounders and VCs – don’t miss this deep dive into a topic that’s becoming non-negotiable in the startup world!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

Pricing and packaging can make or break a startup, yet many founders struggle to get it right. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Fynn Glover, Co-Founder and CEO of Schematic, to explore his journey from startup founder to pricing and packaging expert. Fynn shares lessons from his first startup—how a pivot led to an acquisition, the challenges of scaling, and what sparked his fascination with pricing.And we dive into:How to get a deep understanding of your market's willingness to payThe big upside of having pricing and packaging that can evolve as fast as your product roadmapWhy decoupling pricing from the engineering function allows for more creativity around monetization Whether you're starting a new venture or scaling a business, this episode offers valuable insights on monetization, customer pricing dynamics, and conquering common pricing challenges![01:42] Fynn’s First Startup, Pivot, and Acquisition[05:29] Founding Schematic[08:00] Challenges and Insights in Pricing and Packaging[10:00] Schematic's Approach and Early Success[17:17] Advice for Startup Founders----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!