Podcast

Aseem joined Madrona in 2021 after spending almost twenty years as an operating executive. He works alongside founders building the future of next-generation infrastructure (core, security, DevOps), intelligent applications, robotics, and automation. Full conversation includes: - From Intern at Windows to GM at Microsoft Azure - GM at Azure to Investing at Madrona - Investing at Madrona - Startups vs Big Tech in AI - Commoditization of LLMs - Difference between LLMs & Human Brains Follow Aseem on LinkedIn at ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/aseemdatar/⁠ To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@natarajsindam & on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/natarajsindam/ #azure #madrona #investing
#59 Aseem Datar – From Intern to General Manager at Azure
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_WikB4Orcwsg
To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@natarajsindam⁠⁠⁠ In this episode Nataraj spoke to Taylor Black who co-founded Fizzy Inc. Post Fizzy Taylor worked at Innovation Science Fund & currently works as a Principal Product Manager at the Office of the CTO Incubator at Microsoft. [00:00:00] Nataraj: WordPress is such an interesting thing in itself, right? [00:00:03] Nataraj: Because it is like I, I don't know, like the number of websites on the internet that run on WordPress are still about like 40%, or like it is something crazy like that. [00:00:12] Nataraj: Uh, in spite of like so many no-code local tools mm-hmm. that come every day with unicon valuations. Mm-hmm. , I still use WordPress for all my websites because mm-hmm. , like, why not? Like, I don't see any, like Webflow or all these guys coming up with new stuff. Like, I don't see any reason why to use those. [00:00:30] Nataraj: Like when you once get into WordPress, right? Yeah. What do you think? Like why does WordPress is so sticky and it's still being used so. Uh, [00:00:41] Taylor: it did a really good job of building a strong community around it. Mm-hmm. . Um, there's a huge community of WordPress folks and I think, uh, having the, the open source version of it where it was really simple to build on along with the premium side of things, [00:01:00] just served everybody's needs and, um, and a lot of people could build on it. [00:01:05] Taylor: So, um, I think, I think those are the primary reasons. I mean, it's, it's why we got into it originally too. Uh, it was a nice simple framework for, uh, that ended up being very, very extensible, uh, in a variety of ways as well. Um, Are there, are there better platforms out there for unique cases, of course. But, but WordPress ends up being extensible enough that you can, you can do mostly whatever you need on it. [00:01:29] Taylor: Particularly now that, that, uh, it's, um, really become a robust, headless platform. So you're able to, you're able to plug it into all kinds of different things in, in a variety of different ways. and the, the LMS is, uh, has been iterated over, uh, no, sorry, not the l m s, the c m s has been iterated over so many different users over, you know, decades now. [00:01:51] Taylor: Um, that, that they have a, they have a leg up in terms of, uh, the, um, user experience. They, they just know how [00:02:00] it works because they've had 20 years of, or whatever you have, uh, users telling them what works and what. I [00:02:06] Nataraj: , I have my own theory of why WordPress works. Mm-hmm. so, well, I think part of it is community, but part of it is the abstraction layer, which, uh, it's built like, it's, it's at the right abstraction level, uh, where you can deploy it on in your own server. [00:02:22] Nataraj: They will give you a deployment option. Uh, you can build plugins on top of it. Um, and so the abstraction level it's built on is basically allow. , uh, because if you remove, like go up in the abstraction level a little bit or go down, uh, I think it wouldn't work And mm-hmm. , that's one of the reasons why you even like Shopify works. [00:02:46] Nataraj: It's basically WordPress in every sense. Mm-hmm. , but just optimize it for e-commerce. Mm-hmm. , right? Mm-hmm. like, and it's at the same real abstraction level and. , uh, you basically abstract with the complicated parts and you give the [00:03:00] extensible parts are right there. And that's why I feel like Shopify works as well, because it's exactly like WordPress, but optimized for e-commerce. [00:03:08] Nataraj: Yeah. Um, yeah, I, I feel like the abstraction level was perfect. Like I feel the same with Air Table. I don't know if you have used data cables. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. like that was also like a right abstraction level at which. Public B2C database has to be built at. Yeah. No, that's insightful. I, I, I concur.
#56 Why WordPress Dominates Internet?
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_Kdrh_8Wz4aw
T.A. McCann is a serial entrepreneur with an impressive track record. He has founded and served as CEO of several successful companies. Some notable ventures include Senosis (acquired by Google), Gist (acquired by Blackberry), and Rival IQ, a leading company in marketing analytics. McCann's expertise extends beyond founding companies. He has also held senior roles at Microsoft, where he led divisions such as Exchange and the Mobile Services divisions. Additionally, he has worked as an EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at Polaris Venture Partners and Vulcan Capital. Full conversation includes: - Becoming a professional sailor - Working at microsoft exchange - Starting 5+ companies (3 exits) - Working for Paul Allen & building Startup Studio Vulcan Labs - Selling Gist to Blackberry - Rival IQ - Synosis (acq by Google) - Pioneer Square Labs - Systematic customer discovery & customer development process - Advice to entrepreneurs raising capital - Is AI a step change? - Who will capture value in AI? Big tech or startups? Follow TA on LinkedIn at ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamccann/⁠
#58 TA McCann – Serial Entrepreneur (5x Founder 3 Exits), Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_kiwfhI_rqJY
To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠⁠acquired⁠⁠ by Backstage and is now Managing Director of Techstars Seattle. Techstars expanded to Seattle in 2010, and since then more than 130 companies have gone through the program & collectively gone on to raise more than $2.5 billion in capital.  Full Transcript: [00:00:00] Nataraj: So Techstars is an, you know, traditionally what we call as an accelerator, right? Yeah. Uh, so what are the founders really getting outta, um, joining tech? [00:00:09] Marius: Yeah, for sure. So, um, the Tech Techstars program essentially, uh, falls into almost three phases. So it's a 13 week program and it's kind of, uh, set up in three phases. The first phase is customer discovery, so we worked with you to ensure that like, , you truly understand who your customer is and what are they buying from you. [00:00:31] Marius: Like, you know, you, you would be surprised how many people have an idea of who their customer is, but it's not clearly defined. They don't really understand why that customer is interested in their product. So even companies that are farther along, we find. , it's always good to like really reflect on who your customer is. [00:00:50] Marius: So the first phase is customer discovery. Second phase is go to market and execution, which is more important nowadays, especially given the market [00:01:00] situation. More important than ever to actually gain real traction in your business and prove out that your business has some product market fit. And product market fit can mean different things at different stages. [00:01:12] Marius: But at least in your initial M V P, there needs to be some product market fit. And then the third phase is we're preparing you to go out in front of investors. So we're working on your pitch deck, we're working on your delivery, we're working on all of your documents, uh, getting you ready to ensure that you're ready for, uh, investors and putting you in front of investors. Full version at ⁠thestartupproject.io⁠
#54 How Techstars Seattle works & how should founders think about it
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_LsAt_BzVfz4
To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: ⁠@natarajsindam⁠ (https://twitter.com/natarajsindam) In this episode Nataraj spoke to Taylor Black who co-founded Fizzy Inc. Post Fizzy Taylor worked at Innovation Science Fund & currently works as a Principal Product Manager at the Office of the CTO Incubator at Microsoft. Full Conversation includes: - Starting a company during law school - Running a WordPress server farm - Why WordPress still dominates internet? - Working at Innovation Science Fund - Running innovation sessions attended by Entrepreneurs, Nobel laureates, Scientists & Bill Gates - Fundamental technology breakthrough in Metamaterials - Funding Starlink competitor - Incubator inside Microsoft for the Office of the CTO - Measuring Innovation inside large organizations ⁠You can connect with Taylor here on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/blacktaylor/).
#53 Taylor Black – Innovation Science Fund & Microsoft CTO Incubator
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_WlzsbCLnE_k
To stay up to date checkout ⁠⁠thestartupproject.io⁠⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠⁠acquired⁠⁠ by Backstage and is now Managing Director of Techstars Seattle. Techstars expanded to Seattle in 2010, and since then more than 130 companies have gone through the program & collectively gone on to raise more than $2.5 billion in capital.  Full Transcript: [00:00:00] So I was like, you know, working on Samsung, making videos and then also like working on sets, like reality TV shows and stuff like that, while at the same time doing a startup and. Uh, learning UX design. So I had to make a decision. I couldn't do both. And the reason I decided to go into tech, I remember having this kind of conversation with my significant other, is that in film it's a very traditional career path, meaning, In order to become a cinematographer or a director or a producer, you have to pay your dues. [00:00:35] Like there is very strict rules about what certain people could do on a set and what they can't do, like. I've been told in my position as a production assistant was like, you are not allowed to move that equipment. You're not allowed to move that chair because the union, you don't belong to that union. [00:00:53] So it's actually like a safety regulation or. It was a very traditional kind of [00:01:00] career path, and I realized that like I was not going to reach my dream of becoming a cinematographer or director well into my forties, probably fifties, and it was gonna take a long time where in tech it was actually the complete opposite. [00:01:18] The younger you were, the more respect you got and almost the more opportunities you received. So my goal was always like, I really enjoyed. and it seems like doors are just really opening, people are just much more supportive. If you have big ambitions, you don't have to like, wait in line and wait your turn. [00:01:38] You could just act on those ambitions. Uh, so it just felt like a much friendlier community and just more embracing. So, um, it went towards tech and I, I always planned like at some point in my career, I'll make it in tech and then I'll come back at an older age and a film and I'll be a producer and I'll fund my own films or uh, [00:02:00] documentaries or whatever, whatever that might be.
#51 Working in Tech vs in Movie Business
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_QwqlG3rxpI4
To stay up to date checkout ⁠thestartupproject.io⁠ & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam In this episode Nataraj spoke to Marius Ciocirlan who co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers to rent and sell their equipment. It was ⁠acquired⁠ by Backstage and is now Managing Director of Techstars Seattle. Techstars expanded to Seattle in 2010, and since then more than 130 companies have gone through the program & collectively gone on to raise more than $2.5 billion in capital.  Full Conversation includes: - How skateboarding led do film school - Raising funds via grants - Startup weekends - Early days at Groupon Mobile Team - Origin story and cofounding Sharegrid (acquired by Backstage) - Joining Techstars Seattle as Managing Director - What's special about Techstars Seattle? - How founders should think about Techstars Seattle If you are founder and is interested in applying to TechStars Seattle you can get in touch with Marius at marius.ciocirlan@techstars.com
#50: Marius Ciocirlan – Managing Director Techstars #Seattle
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_rzb7PYfQbiI
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow us on twitter: @natarajsindam Full Notes: One of the interesting things in Shark Tank India versus Shark Tank US that I’ve noticed is Shark Tank US is pretty much small and medium enterprise. If a Silicon Valley style pitch comes up, like Mark Cuban will throw them out, uh, you know, this kind of ration doesn’t work here. One thing I was amazed to see in this season particularly is, um, it’s much more closer to Indian startup ecosystem. Um, I’ve actually seen couple of these pitches before they were on track tank, like Flatheads, uh, was the shoe company, which is similar to like a shoe company here. There was another one, mind peers was like a mindful company that came on recently, which I’ve seen before. Um, The interesting thing is it’s much more similar to a venture, uh, you know, ecosystem than the S m E market that we are seeing, even though we see a lot of SME companies, but the language is pretty close to VC. Like no one says, hey, we are doing a pre-seed on Shark Tank us. Right? We are just asking for money. And, you know, this is a small and medium business ——– Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com) , Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc) , Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund) , and others. —
How Close is Shark Tank India to the Indian Startup Ecosystem? (TSP Insights)
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_KdL_HHzTx_0
To stay up to date checkout thestartupproject.io & follow Nataraj on twitter: @natarajsindam —– In this episode Nataraj spoke to Deedy who writes amazing twitter threads on immigration, Indian startups and more. Deedy is interesting because he brings in both Indian & U.S perspective having lived in both worlds. He talks about Indian immigration with details and nuances that are not covered by the mainstream media. Follow him if you are interested in tech, Indian immigration or Indian startups. He also has interesting takes on AI because of his experience working on Search products at Google and currently working at Glean, an enterprise search company. Topic covered include: - Tweet threads on Indian startups - Shark Tank India vs U.S - Generative AI, LLMs & Search - Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon & a lot more. Don’t forget to follow Deedy’s opinions at @debarghya_das! —– Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund), and many more. —
#31: Deedy (Debarghya Das) – Indian Startups, AI & Search
YouTube Video UCs8lGcgpE7JC-alvUhMPk3g_5mEWX4aalSY
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