Episodes

On this episode of Product Market Fit, host Mosheh Poltorak interviews Michael Sayman, founder of Friendly Apps, who shares his journey from building mobile apps as a teenager to working at Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg.They discuss consumer social, the future of social media, and the impact on Gen Z and Zoomers. They also delve into the Vision Pro goggles and how AI and Augmented reality will change the social landscape.Tune in for insights into the evolving landscape of consumer social._...

Jake Heller, the founder and CEO of Casetext, brings his expertise in AI and law to the forefront in this episode of 'Product Market Fit'. With an eye for innovation and a deep understanding of the legal landscape, Jake has led Casetext to become a pioneering force in the industry. His insights into the intersection of technology and law offer invaluable perspectives for entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone interested in the future of AI-driven solutions.Join host Mosheh Poltorak in an ins...

Join host Mosheh Poltorak in a conversation with Laurel Taylor, the visionary CEO behind Candidly, a fintech platform revolutionizing student debt solutions.In this episode, Taylor shares Candidly's journey from its inception to serving thousands of employers, offering invaluable insights into startup growth, technology integration, and the importance of company culture.Key Takeaways:Innovative Solutions: Candidly's fintech platform offers practical solutions to the student debt crisis, sa...

In this insightful episode of "Product Market Fit," we step into the dynamic world of e-commerce and scaling businesses with our esteemed guest, Yoni Kozminski.Yoni, an entrepreneurial powerhouse, shares his expertise in building and growing successful e-commerce brands in today's competitive landscape. His journey from digital marketing to e-commerce has led him to focus on offshoring, process improvement, and venture capital investment in the e-commerce sector.With his unique approach to b...

Welcome to another exciting episode of Product Market Fit, where we delve into the fascinating world of AI and workflow automation with our esteemed guests, Pascal, Jakob, and Raphael. In this episode, we explore the cutting-edge advancements in AI technology and how it's transforming the way we work and interact with digital tools.Chapters:(01:36) Highs/lows (and buffalos) for 2023(07:20) Is the AI hype cycle slowing down?(11:23) Will OpenAI live up to its valuation?(12:50) e/acc vs. d...

Happy New Year!We're kicking off 2024 with a bang! Augustus Doricko is the youngest founder I've interviewed and perhaps the most ambitious. His company, Rainmaker, is looking to use cloud-seeding technology to revitalize the American West and, in his words, extend the Great Plains into Nevada and Arizona.We talked about e/acc and why hard tech is the answer to the growing sense of doomism. And what's happening in "the Gundo" (El Segundo, CA).I love his optimism and ambition and enjoyed ou...

I have a very topical episode for you today all about annual review and planning. My guest today is Jason Shen, three-time founder, turned executive coach and resilience expert.Jason has a wonderful video on YouTube that walks you through a reflection and planning exercise perfect for this time of year. Jason and I discuss the framework and provide relevant context for founders and entrepreneurs.Jason and I also talk about resilience, pivots, and zombie startups, topics from his recently pub...

My guest today is Brian Long, Co-founder of Attentive, the mobile messaging platform that has raised almost $900M and powers the vast majority of ecommerce companies. Brian previously co-founded TapCommerce which sold to Twitter for $100M; and he recently published, Problem Hunting: The Tech Startup Textbook.I absolutely loved my conversation with Brian as he shared his perspective on product market fit, how they found it at Attentive, and lessons learned across both companies. We dive into tr...

I’ve got a special solo episode for you today with a big announcement as well: I’m thrilled to tell you that I’m going all-in on building a startup in the real estate sector.In this episode, I'll share the questions I used when interviewing my co-founder and I'll cover the top 5 practical items you must be aligned on with your co-founder(s).(00:00) Introduction(01:11) The importance of choosing the right co-founder(s)(02:23) How to assess a potential co-founder(06:23) The top 5 practic...

In this special episode of the Product Market Fit Podcast, host Moshe Poltorak interviews Hillel Fuld, a leading voice in the Israeli tech community. Despite the current situation in Israel, Hillel shares his insights on the tech ecosystem, content marketing for startups, and common mistakes made by early-stage founders. The conversation highlights the importance of content as the foundation for effective marketing and provides valuable resources to support relief efforts in Israel. Don't miss t...

What happens when artificial intelligence becomes the new normal for e-commerce? We reveal how AI is shaping the future of the retail world with Ben Parr, journalist, investor, and co-founder of Octane AI. Ben lends his expertise in AI and e-commerce, and shares his insights from the recent TED AI event in San Francisco, providing a fascinating look into the developments in the field. We touch upon Octane AI's revolutionary tools that are taking e-commerce to the next level, and Ben even gives u...

Ready to revolutionize the way you view business and entrepreneurship? Join us in our enlightening chat with Howard Bornstein, the president of CharterUp. Howard's transition from investor to operator provides a distinctive vantage point and he generously shares his unique insights with us. He dissects his three-question framework for evaluating startups, explains his rule of 30, and unveils how CharterUp, a transportation logistics platform, differentiates itself from household names like Uber ...

Join us as we navigate the thrilling journey of startup growth with Roland Siebelink, founder and CEO of Midstage Institute. In this insightful conversation, Roland and I dissect the stages of a tech startup and how founders can successfully transition from startup to scale-up. With the wealth of knowledge Roland accumulated from being instrumental in the growth of three unicorn companies, he generously shares invaluable insights on the importance of offering value to customers, fostering an abu...

Welcome to episode 50 of the Product Market Fit podcast, a show about startups, technology, and growth, for early-stage founders and operators.My guest today is Jenny He, Co-Founder and CEO of Ergeon. The company raised a whopping $53M to finance its mission of transforming the residential construction industry. Fun fact, her co-founder Odysseas Tsatalos co-founded UpWork and Intacct.This interview lines up very well with last week’s episode with the founder of smart-AC, as we dive further i...

My guest today is Josh Teekell, Founder and CEO of SmartAC. The company recently raised a $22M Series B and is set on transforming the HVAC and plumbing industries.I particularly enjoyed learning how Josh figured out their B2B2C business model, which is super relevant to any founder building a complex product where the end-user isn’t necessarily the one who is going to pay for it.We also talked about hardware, pivots, IoT or the Internet of things and advisory boards. And stick around to the...

Praying for peace for all. ✌️**Dear friends, it’s Mosheh here. In light of the devastation taking place in Israel, I couldn’t bring myself to release an episode as usual. Instead, please allow me to share a few thoughts from the heart.We’ll be back next week with more fantastic interviews and hopefully better news.**I’m generally not very political and apologize in advance for going “out of my lane here,” but some things transcend business and force a change in the day-to-day. I’ll pro...

Chapters:(00:00) Intro(02:27) What is Aro and who is it for?(05:30) Defining product-market fit and early-stage signals(06:54) Choosing the hybrid path: navigating between hardware and software(11:05) Navigating pricing strategies: balancing hardware and subscription models(12:55) Growth channels for Aro: Leveraging Social Media and Podcasts(14:32) Product development optimized for behavior change(16:39) User Behavior Insights: the power of unplugging(23:11) Exploring future gro...

Chapters:(00:00) Intro(02:27) Krava's story(03:11) The technology behind the K1(05:39) Krava vision(06:07) Market entry strategy (from a business perspective)(08:30) Prefab housing, is it better?(10:36) Needed automation for the prefab(13:35) Customization vs Modular design(14:54) The green economy(17:16) Product market fit(18:37) Market validation(19:13) Founding story(20:29) ADUs regulations(23:19) Assessing product market fit(25:03) Customer acquisition strategy...

AI is set to completely transform how we work. This company’s AI meeting assistant is at the forefront of this revolution.Chapters:(00:00) Intro(00:00) Meetings suck because they're attended by humans and not AI.(02:05) What is Sembly AI and who do they serve?(04:41) The road to AI synergy: interconnected specialized models(09:54) Decoding Sembly AI processes for meetings efficiency(14:36) Navigating the competitive landscape and unique value proposition(24:16) Sembly AI story: sc...

This interview covers a wide-ranging set of topics including:marketing dev tools to engineers,building delight & whimsy into your product,how to develop the right company culture,the extremely important but often overlooked topic of founder burnout and mental health,and even escape rooms and sitcoms.Chapters:(01:59) What is ReadmMe?(05:17) Finding inspiration to start ReadMe(07:35) Key takeaways from selling developer tools(19:09) Navigating priorities: balancing indirect bene...

This episode features an interview with Canon Reeves, CTO and co-founder of Pipedream Labs, a company revolutionizing hyperlogistics. They are building underground delivery robots that can send and receive items in single-digit minutes to a person's home.Pipedream Labs is focused on the last mile of delivery, where traditional delivery methods struggle. Their system is ideal for small-scale deliveries and can eventually be integrated into new build communities or apartment complexes. The compa...

Part II is here and I've got to admit, putting together this episodes has been a real journey down the rabbit hole of AI insights.In this episode, we explore the transformative impact of AI on marketing and technology. We discuss AI's influence on product and content marketing, its role in reshaping SEO strategies, and how Chat-GPT is changing search dynamics. We delve into the evolving digital advertising landscape, augmented analytics, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI. Tune in N...

Are you as excited about generative AI as I am?My guests and I have covered generative AI extensively on the podcast. The applications of this technology are far-reaching and the speed of innovation is dizzying.I've put together a special 2-part mashup of previous episodes on the topic. In this first installment, we dive deep into the foundational concepts, from exploring the power of transformers to unveiling the game-changing potential of ChatGPT. We also explore the competitive landscape ...

Construction is a $10 trillion industry globally and this startup is poised to disrupt it.For the first time on the Product Market Fit podcast, I delve into the world of hardware with Tessa Lau, Founder & CEO of Dusty Robotics.In this episode, we discuss Tessa’s transition from a software and AI background to the world of robotics. Join us as we explore how robotics are catalyzing a revolution in the construction industry.While hardware poses unique challenges, as compared to software star...