Go behind the scenes with the people who built it first - the founders and early hires of today’s fastest-growing startups. We dive into the bets they made, the mistakes, the wins, and everything in between!
Early Access
Claim This Podcastby Sarah Du
5.0(1 reviews)
7 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Go behind the scenes with the people who built it first - the founders and early hires of today’s fastest-growing startups. We dive into the bets they made, the mistakes, the wins, and everything in between!
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/17/2025
1 verified contact email on file for Early Access
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Recent Episodes
July 8, 2026
Building 0 to 1 AI Products at Nooks (with Alex Zhang)
<p>Join me in conversation with Alex Zhang, Nooks' first PM and now Group PM. </p><p></p><p>Nooks is an AI platform building the agent workspace for GTM teams, backed by Kleiner Perkins and Lachy Groom. Alex joined as employee ~50 and is now a group PM, driving many of Nooks 0 to 1 product bets.</p><p></p><p>Timestamps:</p><p>00:00 Introduction to Alex Zhang and Nooks</p><p>02:15 Career Journey: From DoorDash to Nooks</p><p>03:43 Understanding Nooks: The AI Sales Platform</p><p>06:30 Human vs. AI in Sales:</p><p>09:04 Transitioning from SaaS to AI Native Products</p><p>10:52 Creative Solutions: Using AI for Sales Training</p><p>12:33 Debugging AI Features: Identifying the Issues</p><p>13:14 Exploring AI Interaction and Latency Challenges</p><p>14:54 Expanding Product Surface Area</p><p>16:54 Growth and Evolution: Alex's Journey at Nooks</p><p>18:40 Lessons from "Failed" Products</p><p>22:08 Rapid Fire </p>
June 3, 2026
Inside the first BizOps seat at Cogent Security (with Grace Hua)
<p>Join me in conversation with Grace Hua, head of Biz Ops at Cogent Security. Cogent is building autonomous cyberdefense and recently announced its $42M Series A led by Greylock and BCV.</p><p></p><p>Grace joined as employee ~15 and has spent the last 9 months working across hiring, partnerships, fundraising, and more - essentially operating as an extension of the founders as the company scales.</p><p></p><p>Timestamps:</p><p>00:00 Grace Hua's Journey: From McKinsey to Cogent</p><p>02:43 The Importance of People in Career Decisions</p><p>05:11 Navigating the Startup Landscape: Finding the Right Fit</p><p>07:06 Understanding the Cybersecurity Landscape</p><p>09:34 Building a Company from the Ground Up</p><p>11:43 The Role of Culture in Startup Success</p><p>13:59 Establishing Trust and Relationships in a New Role</p><p>16:31 Reflections on Time Management and Decision Making</p><p>17:46 A Week in the Life of a BizOps Leader at Cogent</p><p>21:28 Capitalizing on Opportunities with BizOps</p><p>22:47 Effective Interviewing Techniques</p><p>24:42 Closing Candidates in a Competitive Market</p><p>27:01 Key Qualities for Founding BizOps Roles</p><p>30:51 Leveraging AI for Enhanced Workflows</p><p>33:31 Rapid Fire</p>
March 2, 2026
Inside Braintrust: Scaling a Category-Defining AI Evals Platform (with Sarah Zeng)
<p>Join me in conversation with Sarah Zeng, who has gone from investing to operating at the forefront of AI - first as one of the first 50 employees at Character AI and now scaling Braintrust. Braintrust is a go-to platform for AI evals and observability. They recently announced their $80M Series B, led by ICONIQ and joined by returnees a16z, Greylock, Elad Gil, basecase and others.</p><p></p><p>Timestamps:</p><p>00:00 Introduction to Sarah Zeng and Her Journey</p><p>02:37 Transitioning from Investing to Startups</p><p>04:57 Joining Character AI</p><p>06:48 The Move to Braintrust</p><p>08:39 Effective Strategies for Chief of Staff Onboarding 10:03 Understanding Braintrust's Core Products</p><p>12:38 Navigating the Role of Chief of Staff</p><p>15:06 Growth in Consumer AI vs. Infrastructure AI</p><p>16:40 Braintrust's Rapid Growth and Market Position</p><p>19:20 Future of AI Evaluation and Observability</p><p>21:56 Rapid Fire</p>
7 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Early Access?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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