Becoming a first-time founder is definitely fun, challenging, and more than anything a roller-coaster ride. Whether it’s transitioning from being an operator or scaling up a side project to something big, the energy and focus are unparalleled. So, what’s it like to hit the start button for foundership? What are the things to keep in mind, trade-offs to handle during decisions, and uncertainties to wade through?
Aarthi Ramamurthy is an entrepreneur, creator, product advisor, and a bearer of so many other hats. Aarthi runs the Good Time Show along with her partner Sriram, and she formerly led product teams at Clubhouse, Netflix, Facebook, and Microsoft, while also co-founding two amazing startups.
Aarthi and Aishwarya chat about:
00:00 Intro to Aarthi and her work
02:03 Why Aarthi and Sriram run the Good Time Show
04:10 Aarthi's upbringing and interest in technology
10:03 Follow interests, not just passion (Covid & Economy changes)
12:34 Building a curiosity-driven career in tech
18:29 Early product building at Netflix (button your remote ;))
20:37 Ride of an operator-turned-founder: launching two startups
25:13 The journey of applying to Y Combinator
29:13 Advising tech founders on fundraising and product
32:20 Founders: how to get better at pitching your startup
36:47 Being a dashboard nut, and focusing on the right metrics
42:27 First-time founder vs second-time founder patterns
47:22 Rationale around angel investing in startups
49:53 General concepts that Aarthi loves thinking about
57:12 Good Time Show: Looking forward as a creator
Follow Aarthi & Good Time Show here:
https://twitter.com/aarthir
https://www.youtube.com/@UC9PvDFHWFdNYLPR5XP4-G6w
The Founder's Foyer on:
Website - https://www.thefoundersfoyer.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thefoundersfoyer/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7xov9chTGQ5F9rP5N0J78v
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-founders-foyer-with-aishwarya-ashok/id1628603555
Newsletter - https://aishwarya.substack.com/