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StartUp Podcast

ByGimlet
153 episodes

Podcast Summary

The "StartUp Podcast" takes listeners on an intimate journey through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, showcasing the raw realities of starting a business from scratch. This unique series blends captivating storytelling with real-life insights, often featuring well-known guests who share their personal experiences and hard-earned wisdom. Notable figures like Alex Blumberg and Matthew Weiner have graced the show, discussing everything from the challenges of fundraising to the emotional rollercoaster of launching a brand. With episodes that dive deep into themes like dreaming big, navigating failure, and the relentless pursuit of success, "StartUp Podcast" offers a refreshing perspective that resonates with aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business owners alike. Listeners will not only gain valuable knowledge but also feel a sense of camaraderie through the shared struggles and triumphs of those venturing into the unpredictable world of startups. Tune in for inspiration, education, and a dose of reality in entrepreneurship!

#1

Gimlet 1: How Not to Pitch a Billionaire

This is a series about what happens when someone who knows nothing about business starts one. It's called StartUp. In episode one, Alex Blumberg botches his pitch to Silicon Valley billionaire Chris Sacca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-04-06•23mins
#2

Gimlet 2: Is Podcasting the Future or the Past?

Dreaming big is harder than you'd think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-09-05•20mins
#3

Gimlet 3: How To Divide An Imaginary Pie

How much of your company should you give up when you bring on a partner? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-09-17•27mins
#4

Gimlet 4: Startups are a Risky Business

StartUps are a risky business, but there's lots of reasons to write a check. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-09-24•24mins
#5

Gimlet 5: How To Name Your Company

Choosing a favorite is only the beginning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-10-13•22mins
#6

Gimlet 6: How To Value Your Startup

It's all about your story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-10-26•28mins
#7

Gimlet 7: How Listeners Become Owners

Are you ready to invest in Gimlet Media? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-11-09•29mins
#8

Gimlet 8: Our New Show

Welcome, Reply All Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-11-23•22mins

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#9

Gimlet 9: We Made A Mistake

Gimlet Media addresses a company mistake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-12-07•23mins
#10

Gimlet 10: Mixing Art And Business

Lessons on outgrowing your business plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2014-12-22•25mins
#11

Gimlet 11: Know Your Customer

Lessons on building an audience While working on this episode, we realized we want to know more about our audience. So, we created a survey. It takes about two minutes to complete, and you can find it at startuplistener.com We would be very grateful if you took the time to help us learn more about our listeners. Thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-01-05•20mins
#12

Gimlet 12: Burnout

Recovering from a breaking pointThanks to everyone who took our listener survey last week. To see the results, visit: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-01-19•21mins
#13

Gimlet 13: Fake It Til You Make It

Episode 13 addresses a question that has been dogging us since the company’s beginnings: Are we a technology company or a content company?This question led to months of debate. Many voices weighed in on either side, including Marco Arment, the lead developer of Tumblr and creator of Instapaper, who came in surprisingly anti-tech.A few weeks back, we had a breakthrough when one of the most successful tech companies in the world paid a visit to the Gimlet Media headquarters.SPOILER: Check out the video demo of the app prototype we built with Google Ventures on this week’s episode of StartUp: We should caveat that this is not a real app, it’s just a prototype - a series of images stitched together to give the appearance of an app. You can’t download it in the App store, or anywhere else.After you watch the video, we’d love your feedback. Fill out our survey about the prototype here: more about design sprints, how they work, and how you can do one yourself -- check out this tutorial from the Google Ventures team: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-02-01•25mins
#14

Gimlet 14: Where We Are

An end and a beginning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-02-15•34mins
#15

Dating Ring 1: Origin Story

First comes love...then comes equity StartUp is a podcast series about what it’s really like to get a business off the ground. In Season 1, Alex Blumberg told the story of launching this business, Gimlet Media, a podcast network. In Season 2, Alex is joined by co-Host Lisa Chow, to follow an entirely new company. The business is Dating Ring, a dating company that combines technology with old-fashioned matchmaking. The founders are women in their 20s, outsiders in the male-dominated world of Silicon Valley. And over the 10 episodes, we'll take you inside that world. Some of the challenges they face are different from Alex’s: founder disagreements, hellish fundraising, and sexism. But just like Gimlet's story, theirs is also a transparent account of something that happens everyday in America, but we rarely get to see firsthand: starting a business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-04-23•29mins
#16

Dating Ring 2: Grow Big Or Go Home

Inside the Startup School Y Combinator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-04-30•29mins
#17

Dating Ring 3: Another Side Of The Story

Welcome to fundraising Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-05-06•28mins
#18

Dating Ring 4: Save The Date

Save The Date (S2 Ep4) by Gimlet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-05-13•26mins
#19

Dating Ring 5: Playing With Matches

Inside Dating Ring's Matchmaking System Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-05-20•27mins
#20

Dating Ring 6: Profiled

In online dating, love is not blind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-06-02•26mins
#21

Dating Ring 7: Survival's a Pitch

A golden opportunity sows seeds of doubt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-06-10•26mins
#22

Dating Ring 8: Til Debt Do Us Part

Lauren and Emma visit the CEO Whisperer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-06-18•24mins
#23

Dating Ring 9: Dating Ring Of Fire

Under pressure, the Dating Ring founders make a big decision Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-06-25•24mins

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#24

Dating Ring 10: 116 Men and a Baby

Lessons learned in business and love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-07-02•32mins
#25

BONUS: But Wait, There's More!

A Gimlet update and a special announcement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-07-17•27mins
#26

Gimlet 15: Married To Your Business

We return to the offices of Gimlet for the start of a new mini-season. It's been a year since the company launched and things are changing... fast. In this episode, Alex and his wife, Nazanin, wrestle with a huge decision that has implications for both the company and their family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-10-22•30mins
#27

Gimlet 16: The Secret Formula

Gimlet is making a big, expensive bet. The kind of bet that could make or break the company. And it’s a bet that comes down to one factor: What is Gimlet’s competitive advantage? As the company launches its fourth new show, “Surprisingly Awesome,” we take a deep dive in to how the show was made. From the kernel of an idea to the final product. And, along the way, we look at what we believe is Gimlet’s secret formula for making podcasts.The Facts:Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrickand Isamu McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-11-04•42mins
#28

Gimlet 17: Words About Words From Our Sponsors

Gimlet is starting a new line of business, and it’s a complicated one: Branded content. Branded content is a piece of media (a video, a story, a podcast, etc.) paid for by a company that then has editorial control over the product. Lots of companies have been asking Gimlet to make podcasts for them. But, as we see in this episode, there are some very real anxieties about how to do this right. As part of this episode, we’ve put together Gimlet Media’s Advertising Guidelines. You can find them on our website.Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrick and Isamu McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-11-20•37mins
#29

Gimlet 18: Pitch Perfect 2

Gimlet is growing fast. We have four shows on the air, and several others in pre-production. If we want to grow faster, though, we could use some more cash. Matt and Alex head back into the world of venture capital, deciding whether or not to raise another round of financing, this time, much bigger.Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrickand Isamu McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-12-03•32mins
#30

Gimlet 19: Diversity Report

If you were to walk into Gimlet HQ, there are a few things you’d probably notice right off the bat. First, it’s crowded - like a grungy dorm room. Second, the lighting… it’s not great. Not many windows. Third, it’s white. Really white. 24 of Gimlet’s 27 employees are white. In this episode, we look at diversity (or lack thereof) at Gimlet. And we try to figure out what diversity should mean for the company going forward. The Facts:Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips.John Kimbrough composed music for this episode.More music written and performed by John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrick and Isamu McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2015-12-18•40mins
#31

Gimlet 20: Disorg Chart

As we wrap up this mini-season, Lisa Chow comes back from maternity leave and notices some big changes at Gimlet. And these changes... they aren't all for the better. Lisa talks to Gimlet employees about concerns over power, accountability, and control - things that crop up when you go from startup, to regular company. And she takes those concerns to the bosses. Music for the episode from the band Hot Mom's Dot Gov. Our theme song was composed and performed by Mark Phillips. Ad music from the band Build Buildings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-01-08•30mins
#32

Introducing Season 3

Season 3 launches Thursday, April 14th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-04-08•2mins
#33

Twitch 1: Almost Famous

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3! This season, we’re doing something new. Instead of following one company over many episodes, we’ll be telling the stories of a bunch of different companies. This season, you’ll meet entrepreneurs from different parts of the world, in all sorts of businesses. We’ll follow prisoners, tailors, smugglers, and tech geeks. And these founders all actually have something in common: their companies are stuck, and they know they need to make a big change. But they have no idea what to change, or whether it will bring the end or a whole new beginning. We’re kicking off this season with a story about a group of friends that moves across the country to launch an unlikely website that they think could replace television. The media loves them. They just need to figure out how to get their users to feel the same way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-04-15•25mins
#34

Twitch 2: Gaming the System

We pick up where we left off in the last episode, and hear how Justin, Emmett, Michael, and Kyle try to extend the life of their video-streaming company by making some risky but important decisions. In the process, their scrappy startup catches the eye of some very powerful people who challenge everything they’ve built.The road of a startup is a bumpy one and, as Justin and his team are finding out, they have only just gotten started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-04-22•32mins
#35

Pirate Needs Pirate

Mike is on a mission to bring his customers something they desperately want. Every week, he embarks on a long and unpredictable journey across international borders and smuggles back some highly sought-after goods. And though what he’s doing is technically legal, Mike goes to unusual lengths to evade authorities who want to shut his whole operation down.What Mike does is a hassle. He’s tired, he’s ready to move on. Still, he can’t seem to shake it, and finds himself stuck running a business he never imagined would make it this far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-04-29•33mins
#36

Dear Music Fans...

When a group of college kids in Florida set out to change the music industry, they did not anticipate quite how disruptive they would be. Their mission was a noble one: bring an end to online piracy by offering cheap, convenient, and legal access to music. Their execution, however, was less than thorough. And when you're dealing with protective music labels, forgetting to dot an "i" or cross a "t" can mean being one lawsuit away from the swift and unceremonious death of your company.This is the story of Grooveshark, the people who built it and the relationships that were tested during its rocky road to growth—and eventual demise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-05-13•49mins
#37

The Runway

It’s not uncommon for shoppers to walk out of Mary Going’s store feeling on top of the world. Mary runs Saint Harridan, a company that makes custom suits for the gender non-conforming. With her store, Mary has created a space that caters to the needs of butch women and trans men—something that doesn’t happen very often. Her fans are enthusiastic and dedicated, her products are selling out… and she can barely pay her rent.Saint Harridan is struggling to raise enough money to cover basic costs. Mary knows the demand for her product is there, but it isn’t translating into dollars. Her runway is getting shorter and shorter, but she’s hoping that by turning to her community, she can buy time and make a comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-05-20•33mins
#38

Kitchen Confidential

Two men decide to start a company. Everything is going well... until it’s not. That’s the moment they decide to start recording their conversations—painful, awkward, emotional conversations.Jason and Vincent launched Bento about a year ago. Their goal was to make Pan-Asian food fresh, tasty, and on-demand. They joined the food tech swell just as it was winding down, just as the funding was drying up, just as the smaller players were being weeded out. With only a year under their belt and a quickly draining bank account, Bento’s odds don’t look good. We listen in on the co-founders as they try to decide whether their setbacks are just bumps on the road to success or a sign to shut things down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-05-27•42mins
#39

ConBody 1: Happy Ending

Coss Marte is getting ready to pitch his company to a panel of prominent entrepreneurs and an audience of hundreds. He’s competing against five other startups for a chance at $100,000. With this money, Coss hopes to grow his small exercise studio in the Lower East Side of Manhattan into an international fitness brand. But this isn’t his first experience with scaling up. In his early twenties, Coss ran a business that brought in nearly $4 million in annual revenue, a business that catered to doctors, judges and lawyers. A business that landed him a seven year prison sentence.This is part one of Coss’s story on his path from felon to founder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-06-10•33mins
#40

ConBody 2: From the Cell to the Sell

Coss Marte went from running a multi-million dollar drug operation to sitting in solitary confinement. And it’s here, alone in his cell, where he gets the idea for his next business: a fitness company inspired by his time behind bars. But Coss quickly learns that building a legal business comes with its own set of challenges—one being that pitching your company on stage to a bunch of investors requires a slightly different approach to selling an eight-ball outside a busy New York club.Building a startup is a tough and uncertain endeavor for any founder. But for one with a criminal history, the journey can be far more complicated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-06-17•43mins
#41

Up in Flames

Edgar Diaz has dedicated his life to dairy. He sees an incredible beauty in milk and the things that can come from it: soft cheese, rich dulce de leche, and creamy yogurt.He knows that to produce a really good yogurt, the conditions are just as important as the ingredients. You can use the freshest milk, but if your temperature is off or the timing inexact you risk ruining the whole batch.Edgar has a lot in common with some of the world’s most successful founders: intense passion, a deep knowledge of his product, and awards and acclaim from peers in his field. He seems to have all the ingredients for success, and the conditions seem right, so why is he so far from it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-06-24•38mins
#42

2680 Madison Road

Something is amiss at 2680 Madison Road. In the thriving Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park, the property is sandwiched between several decades-old Cincinnati staples, and a stone’s throw away from an upscale shopping center. The space is huge, the parking is ample. And yet, the building has been abandoned for five years. Seven different businesses have cycled through the address over the last thirty years. It seems that every business that inhabits its four walls is destined to fail.Alex Blumberg sends StartUp Senior Producer Kaitlin Roberts to his hometown to investigate this peculiar property. With a microphone in hand, she books a ticket to Cin City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-07-01•40mins
#43

Introducing Season 4

Season 4 of StartUp is almost here. Here's a sneak peek of the fourth season, which kicks off with some episodes about the company that makes this podcast: Gimlet Media.Since we last checked in on Gimlet HQ, the company has grown a ton. And with growth, come the growing pains. Season 4 of StartUp premieres on October 6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-10-04•2mins
#44

Gimlet 21: Diversification of Worry

StartUp is back! And we’re kicking Season 4 off with an update on what’s happening here at Gimlet Media. Since the start of the year, Gimlet has more than doubled in size. And while growth is often the goal for a startup, it also costs a lot of money. In this episode, Alex and his team ask themselves some very scary questions: How are they going to pay for all this growth? And what will happen if they can’t? With a larger staff and six new shows launching in the fall, this feels like a particularly pivotal moment at the company. There are big decisions to be made, with potentially even bigger consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-10-07•31mins
#45

Gimlet 22: You Can't Wear a Suit Here

Growth. It can be exciting, it can be motivating, and it can be really stressful. In this week’s episode, we take a look at the tensions that Gimlet’s growth spurt is creating. We speak with the team producing one of our upcoming shows to see what it’s really like to build a podcast from the ground up. Each of them is being asked to step up to the plate in a way that they never have before, and some are realizing that the support they expected, it just isn’t there. People are pushed to their limits, emotions run high, and things that have remained hitherto unsaid are finally aired. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-10-14•31mins
#46

Gimlet 23: Shadowed Qualities

This week, Alex receives feedback about his job performance from his co-workers, friends, and family. Some of it is good, some less so. But there is something else that comes up during the review process that shocks him.We explore what happens when you unpack your emotional baggage—or someone unpacks it for you—and you realize the unexpected effect that it has been having on your team.In this final Gimlet-focused episode of season four, we take a raw and intimate look at a defining moment in the trajectory of a CEO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-10-21•36mins
#47

Dov Charney 1: Labels

Season 4 of StartUp continues with the story of a well-known entrepreneur who built a widely recognized business, lost it all, and is now starting over—from scratch.Over the next several episodes, we’ll hear as this founder makes his second attempt at success, and creates an entirely new company in the shadow of his controversial past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-11-04•32mins
#48

Dov Charney 2: Workers

Dov Charney is trying to rebuild a multi-million dollar apparel company from the ground up. But he can’t do it alone. In this episode, we’ll hear from the people who have signed on to work with Charney, the people who have remained loyal to him since the early days of American Apparel, and those who have been inspired to join him in his new venture.The commitment Charney receives from his workers feels like a double-edged sword—the more they devote their time and energy to his new company, the more they depend on its success. This time around, the pressure to succeed feels much, much higher.To learn more about Undone and the other shows Gimlet is launching this fall, go to gimletmedia.com/fallseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-11-11•23mins
#49

Dov Charney 3: Photos

In this episode, we trace American Apparel’s rise from the early wholesale days in South Carolina to the booming retail behemoth that the company eventually became. We speak with some of the people closest to Dov Charney along the way, in order to figure out how his past informs the present.We also begin to explore how sexuality came to define the American Apparel brand, and how Dov’s unorthodox business practices and questionable personal behavior led to widespread scrutiny about what was really going on at the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-11-18•29mins
#50

Dov Charney 4: Boundaries

While Dov Charney was running American Apparel, he didn’t shy away from unconventionality. And for many entrepreneurs, breaking convention is an essential part of growing an innovative company. But pushing boundaries is one thing. Completely ignoring them is another.In this episode, we explore the nebulous lines between Charney’s professional and personal relationships. We ask the the women of American Apparel what it was like to work for the former CEO and how, in a company where the boundaries aren’t clear, they could determine what was—and wasn’t—appropriate in the workplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2016-12-02•40mins

Listen to your favourite podcasts.

Now ad-free.

Download herd and enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality podcasts without the wait.

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