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Interview library · 154 conversations · 8 topics

The Liftoff interview library

Five years of conversations with founders, investors and operators, sorted by the problem you’re working on. Start with the ten every founder should hear, or go straight to a topic.

Jump toGo-to-marketSalesAIFundraising and investingLeadership and cultureScalingProduct-market fitExits

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10 Liftoff interviews every founder should hear

If you’re new to the show, these are the conversations to begin with: legends of the first wave of tech, and founders building now.

  1. 01 Mark CubanShark TankFrom networking reseller with a column in CRN to Shark Tank: the early hustle behind one of the best-known investors in business.
  2. 02 Trip HawkinsElectronic ArtsThe founder of Electronic Arts on the principles behind building a company that changes a whole industry.
  3. 03 Henry SchuckZoomInfoFounding ZoomInfo in 2007 and scaling it through every growth stage to an IPO.
  4. 04 Steve BlankStanfordThe father of the Lean Startup movement on testing ideas with customers before you build.
  5. 05 Guy KawasakiApple, CanvaEvangelism, the original Macintosh team, and what AI means for the next generation of founders.
  6. 06 Nolan BushnellAtariOn Pong’s 50th anniversary, the founder of Atari on the skills it takes to be a truly successful entrepreneur.
  7. 07 Ann WinbladHummer WinbladFrom founding and selling a software company to starting the first VC firm focused only on software.
  8. 08 Krish RamineniFireflies.aiHow product-led growth took Fireflies.ai from an AI notetaker to a unicorn.
  9. 09 Justin BaerCollars & Co.Building Collars & Co. into a $75M menswear brand in three years, with no fashion experience.
  10. 10 Hunter HastingsEntrepreneur, investor and co-author of Venture ModeWhy management, not growth, is what usually kills startups, and how to stay entrepreneurial as you scale.

By topic

Find the interview for the problem you have

33 interviews Go-to-market Positioning, messaging, brand and the channels that put a product in front of the right buyer. Keith’s home turf: how founders and operators find their customer and get heard. Latest: Eric Poley, Max Hoffer, Mike Link 21 interviews Sales Pipeline, outbound, founder-led selling and the retail pioneers who sold the first wave of personal computers. How revenue actually gets made. Latest: Eric Poley, Max Hoffer, Ari Kimmelfeld 46 interviews AI From GPU infrastructure and physical AI to agents, trust and AI policy at work. Founders and operators on what AI changes for building companies, and what it doesn’t. Latest: Max Hoffer, Sara Skowronski, Raouf 37 interviews Fundraising and investing Venture capitalists, super angels and founders on raising money, choosing investors and how the people writing the cheques decide. Latest: Harvey Liu, John Brennard, Rob Schoder 45 interviews Leadership and culture Building teams that perform under pressure, protecting your own energy, and the culture decisions that outlast any single product. Latest: Eric Poley, Sara Skowronski, Brian L. Fielkow 36 interviews Scaling What breaks between the first customers and a company of hundreds: systems, operators, hypergrowth and staying entrepreneurial as you grow. Latest: Eric Poley, Max Hoffer, Ari Kimmelfeld 12 interviews Product-market fit Finding the thing people actually want: pivots, early customers, bootstrapping and the inventions that started as a side project. Latest: Eric Poley, Michael Fors, Devon Ferreira 9 interviews Exits IPOs, acquisitions and the founders who designed their exit years in advance. How companies are sold, and what it takes to finish strong. Latest: Rob Schoder, Steven Pivnik, Henry Schuck

An interview can sit in more than one topic. Looking for someone specific? Browse all 148 guests or every episode by year.

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