Build Mode
On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies — and sanity— intact. Each season, Isabelle is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into specific aspects of the startup journey, from creative go to market strategies to founder mental health. The interviews are full of candid startup wisdom—think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. So, if you’re starting a company or or even just thinking about it, this is your survival guide.
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Diverse teams start with diverse VCs with Leah ...
45 min
27
Why hiring the weirdos works with Isaiah Granet...
48 min
28
How to fight with your co-founder with Ian Schm...
47 min
29
When startups become a family business
39 min
30
Building a lean team before raising big with Da...
36 min
31
Behavioral AI and the compatibility advantage w...
42 min
32
Compensation, culture, and cap tables with Yuri...
42 min
33
Build Mode is back: Building world-class foundi...
1 min
34
It’s time to throw away the old go-to-market pl...
35 min
35
2026 predictions from LP-lead investments to IP...
33 min
36
Making life (and death) better despite regulato...
48 min
37
Capital is a commodity (but your investor relat...
43 min
38
Your network is your first go-to-market strategy
34 min
39
From military logistics to Startup Battlefield ...
31 min
40
Beyond growth hacks: real stories of reaching u...
27 min
41
The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Pr...
45 min
42
Product, Meet Market
0 min
43
Introducing Build Mode
0 min
44
Saying goodbye to Found where we started
49 min
45
How to build a company that can save the world ...
19 min
46
Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nic...
Enterprise AI is booming so it’s no wonder that, as companies figure out how to implement it, the industry of AI infrastructure is emerging. This week Becca and Dom talk to Nick Frosst from Cohere, the AI company building natural language models for enterprise customers. They discuss why Frosst thinks the AI boom isn’t built on a bubble, whether or not AI companies are building toward a “digital god”, and how AI regulation could be a good thing.
38 min
47
Rethinking the social network with Andy Dunn fr...
47 min
48
The playbook for empathy-driven investing with ...
18 min
49
Closing a major gap in women's health with Allo...
This week on found, Dom and Becca are talking with the co-founders of Alloy Women’s Health who just closed a new funding round to expand its mission of fixing menopause care. Monica Molinar and Anne Fulenwider discuss raising capital in a competitive health tech landscape, their choice to bypass traditional insurance models, and how this funding will help them scale their telehealth platform nationally.
44 min
50
Building a data powerhouse for the AI era with ...
This week on Found, Dom and Becca are diving into the world of data governance with Collibra CEO Felix Van de Maele. They get into how maintaining organized data started as a niche concept and became the bedrock of AI and privacy compliance. They also talk about the early challenges of building a startup in Belgium, the lucky breaks that saved the company, and why Felix believes every employee is a “data citizen.”
39 min