When Passion Meets Product-Market Fit

Materials development touches all startups—driving technological progress and innovation across every industry.  In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Joseph Krause, Co-Founder & CEO of Radical AI, a groundbreaking startup that's accelerating the discovery of new materials by using AI to transform the traditionally slow and costly R&D process.Fresh off a $55M seed raise, Joseph shares his inspiring startup journey and reveals the secret to building a fast-moving, mission-driven team. Joseph’s top advice for founders: build a ridiculous bias to action into everything you do!Tune in to hear:Radical AI’s plan to remove barriers to innovationHow they deliberately designed a culture that drives them forwardThe payoff of their relentless focus on iterationThis episode is a fascinating listen for any founder as Joseph lays out Radical AI's approach to building a truly revolutionary startup. Plus, if you’re curious about how AI could dramatically change materials development, this interview won't disappoint!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode, host Kate Adams sits down with Julia Austin—Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, startup advisor, executive coach, and author of After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. With decades of experience leading teams at Akamai, VMware, and DigitalOcean, Julia brings tactical wisdom and deep empathy to the messy, high-stakes realities of startup life.Together, they unpack what really happens after the check clears: from managing investor relationships and board dynamics to building operationally sound companies that can scale. Drawing on frameworks from her book and real-world examples, Julia gives founders clear guidance on how to stay in the driver’s seat—even in the face of strong investor opinions.Highlights includeHow and when to communicate with your investors after the "check clears"Productive ways to disagree with your investors and still build trustStrategies to get the most value out of your board member’s network & expertiseThe gap most startup books miss—and how After the Idea fills itJulia also lays out a strong case for why figuring out the “culture and people stuff” is essential to a startup’s survival. Whether you’re working towards product market fit, building a team, or navigating early-stage chaos, this is your crash course in leading with intention, not reaction.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! Purchase your copy of After the Idea here!

In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Ian Bateman, co-founder and CEO of Highscore, a startup on a mission to bring more games to more people—especially long-neglected Mac users—by enabling PC games to work on any device.Ian shares his startup journey—from building a tech startup in college that led to a successful acquisition, to turning his lifelong frustration as a Mac gamer into the inspiration for his current startup, Highscore. With a lean five-person team, a thriving Discord community of users, and a deeply personal connection to the problem they’re solving, Ian offers an honest and energizing look into early-stage startup life.We explore:Highscore’s early pivot that resulted in a win for users and investors The inner workings of their Alpha launch powered by an active user feedback loopHow complementary co-founders can supercharge a startupIan’s take on the gaming industryWhether you're a founder, a gamer, or just love a good startup story, this episode will leave you inspired by what’s possible when passion meets product-market fit.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Learn more at highscore.com or join the conversation on Discord: discord.gg/highscore📱 Follow High Score on Twitter/X: @highscore

Most founders say they value customer feedback—but few know how to truly hear it, let alone act on it. On today’s episode, we are excited to welcome serial founder and CEO Eli Portnoy of Backengine.ai, a platform revolutionizing how businesses capture and act on customer feedback. With over $66M in successful exits behind him, Eli shares the lessons only repeated startup journeys can teach—most critically, why leaning into customer feedback isn't optional, it's foundational to a startup's success.Eli walks us through:Why your startup’s success hinges on aggregating customer feedback across all channelsHow to drive revenue and prevent churn by staying close to customers’ needsWhy many startups fail by ignoring negative customer signalsCritical advice on why CEOs need to meet with customers regularly and assign an owner of customer feedbackEli doesn't just share important learnings around customer feedback, but also what he has learned founding multiple successful startups.  If you're a founder trying to scale, or find product market fit, without losing sight of your customer, this conversation is your blueprint.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 🔗 Learn more at backengine.ai📫 Contact Eli: [email protected]

With Q2 in the rearview mirror, we welcome back one of our most popular guests, Steve Lord, COO & Head of Service Delivery at Burkland. Steve joins us for a macro view of the startup and VC ecosystem—and the message is clear: uncertainty still reigns.From geopolitical instability to unpredictable trade policies and inflation, Steve breaks down what founders and investors need to know right now and provides expert tips on how to raise and extend capital in today’s market. We discuss:Why the Fed has not cut interest rates yet and when that will changeHow global uncertainty is chilling startup investmentSmart ways to fundraise (hint: SAFE notes)The episode also includes actionable advice for founders on how to defend your valuation and present a “buttoned-up investment opportunity” that makes it easier for VCs to say yes!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn.🔗 Plus, don’t miss Steve’s blog posts and tools for extending cash runway and strategic planning at burklandassociates.com.

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!