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- Give First
25 episodes
Give First
by Techstars · English
In the startup world, Give First means simply trying to help anyone—especially entrepreneurs—with no expectation of getting anything back. It's the pay-it-forward principle that builds strong startup networks. Hosts David Cohen and Brad Feld—Techstars cofounders, lifelong entrepreneurs, and startup investors—talk with mentors and founders about what giving first looks like in action, and how it makes great entrepreneurship possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes
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Building a Crypto Unicorn with Jonathan Levin
Jonathan Levin, co-founder/CEO of Chainalysis, discusses building a “category creator” in crypto compliance and investigation, scaling from 2014 to government partnerships, and how conviction,…
3 Nov 2026 · 29m · 13 chaptersThe Unicorn Helping Millions Build Credit featuring James Garvey
James Garvey, co-founder and CEO of Self (Austin-based credit access platform), explains how Self helps people build or repair credit, his return to the CEO role, and the company’s values-driven…
20 Oct 2026 · 25m · 13 chaptersThe Unicorn Reinventing How Healthcare Reaches You with Jon Lensing
Jon Lensing explains how Openloop is building “embedded healthcare,” an out-of-the-box operating infrastructure that lets non-healthcare brands deliver virtual care (e.g., birth control via dating…
6 Oct 2026 · 32m · 13 chaptersThe Unicorn Giving Parents Peace of Mind with Kurt Workman
Kurt Workman (Outlet/Awlet) discusses building a wearable baby health monitor, the company’s hardest setbacks, and how “Give First” culture shaped fundraising, product iteration, marketing, and FDA…
22 Sep 2026 · 28m · 10 chapters
From a Mall Booth to a Billion-Dollar Unicorn featuring Matt Oppenheimer
Matt Oppenheimer (Remitly) shares Remitly’s origin and scaling lessons—staying obsessed with the problem, pivoting the solution, focusing on specific corridors/geographies, using non-scalable…
15 Sep 2026 · 30m · 14 chapters
From Lab Bench to Billion Dollar Unicorn with Etosha Cave
Etosha Cave, chief scientific officer and co-founder of 12, explains how the company (founded from Stanford PhD research) scaled CO2-to-molecule technology into a commercial plant producing jet fuel,…
25 Aug 2026 · 24m · 14 chapters
Burn Bright, Not Out: James Oliver Jr. on Founder Mental Wellness
Founder mental wellness—how to avoid burnout while maintaining peak performance; “hustle culture is trash,” “burn bright, not out,” and shattering silence around mental health in tech startups.
17 Feb 2026 · 24m · 14 chapters
Finding Your Way Back to What You Love Through Give First with John Fein
John Fein explains how “give first” helped him return to startups after a difficult personal period, then discusses his venture career and his Kansas City/KU-focused investing via Firebrand Ventures…
20 Jan 2026 · 23m · 14 chapters
The Long Game of Venture and Generosity with David Hornik
How “Give First” (prioritizing relationships and helping without immediate transaction) becomes a competitive advantage in venture capital and startup communities, tied to Adam Grant’s Give and Take…
6 Jan 2026 · 29m · 11 chapters
Rethinking Capitalism with Seth Levine
Rethinking capitalism and its future, arguing against a “capitalism vs socialism” false choice; also an update on venture firm Foundry and Colorado’s startup ecosystem.
9 Dec 2025 · 26m · 9 chapters
Starting and Closing a Bank in 3 Months with Bala Kamallakharan
Bala Kamallakharan’s life-changing experience during the 2008 Iceland financial crisis—specifically launching a Bank of Iceland operation in Mumbai in May 2008 and having it nationalized/closed three…
25 Nov 2025 · 49m · 15 chapters
How Pledge 1% Sparked a Global Movement for Startup Philanthropy
How Pledge 1% (startup equity pledge for social impact) grew from a local idea into a global movement, including legal/board mechanics and the “distributed pledge” used by late-stage startups before…
11 Nov 2025 · 23m · 9 chapters
How Sameer Dholakia Led SendGrid to IPO and Exit
Sameer Dholakia’s leadership journey at SendGrid—how he joined during slowing growth, stabilized culture, re-accelerated performance, navigated an acquisition offer from Twilio, led the company to…
28 Oct 2025 · 38m · 14 chapters
The Compass Within: Robert Glazer on Leading with Core Values
Robert Glazer (Acceleration Partners chairman; author of The Compass Within) explains a framework to discover personal core values—non-negotiable principles that guide decisions—and how value…
15 Oct 2025 · 29m · 13 chapters
AI First Leaders | Andy Sack & Adam Brotman on Scaling with the AI Wave
AI First leadership and how companies should scale using generative AI; includes book “AI First: the playbook for a future-proof business and brand,” plus skills for individuals/knowledge workers and…
23 Sep 2025 · 25m · 14 chapters
Building Startups and Lasting Relationships with Scott Dorsey
Scott Dorsey (High Alpha; former ExactTarget/Salesforce Marketing Cloud) discusses “Give First” in entrepreneurship: treating people well, building long-term relationships (multi-turn games),…
9 Sep 2025 · 32m · 18 chapters
Breaking Barriers for Entrepreneurs with Elizabeth Gore
Hello Alice’s “give first” approach to breaking barriers for Main Street entrepreneurs by improving equitable access to capital, education, and community—especially for underrepresented founders—and…
26 Aug 2025 · 29m · 10 chapters
Building Ecosystems from the Ground Up with Landon Young
Landon Young discusses building startup ecosystems from early-stage investing and community “give first” principles, connecting his work in Indiana with Kansas City’s early startup culture, Pledge…
12 Aug 2025 · 25m · 11 chapters
How Policy Shapes Startups: Bobby Franklin on the VC Industry’s Silent Battle
Bobby Franklin, president of the NVCA, explains how U.S. public policy and regulation affect venture capital and startups, arguing Washington often misunderstands venture’s structure (many small,…
29 Jul 2025 · 32m · 13 chapters
The Near Death (and Rebirth) of Simple Energy with Justin Segall & Yoav Lurie
Simple Energy’s near-death moment after a VC-led $6M round pressured rapid spending/hiring before full product-market fit; they rejected a low buyout offer, ran out of cash (18 days), and used…
22 Jul 2025 · 41m · 11 chapters
Givers, Takers, and Building Cultures That Last with Adam Grant
How “Give First” generosity works in careers and organizations, contrasting givers, takers, and matchers; building positive-sum cultures; and setting boundaries while helping others.
16 Jul 2025 · 38m · 10 chapters
Leadership, Ego, and Saying No with Seth Godin
Seth Godin discusses leadership without ego, the difference between “founder mode” and true leadership, and how saying no (and giving first) protects both personal work and community trust.
8 Jul 2025 · 31m · 10 chapters
Mentorship, Ecosystems, and Feedback Loops with Ian Hathaway
Mentorship and “give first” in startup ecosystems; using complex adaptive systems and feedback loops to explain how founders learn through experiments, nonlinear growth, and policy change.
30 Jun 2025 · 34m · 17 chapters
Part 2 - Founders at the Center | The Story of the Startup Community Movement with Lesa Mitchell
Part 2 of a mini-series on the Startup Community Movement (35-year arc), focusing on how “Give First” mentorship and community-building scaled entrepreneurship from niche to global.
23 Jun 2025 · 36m · 18 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy