From Startup to Exit
Welcome to the Startup to Exit podcast where we bring you world-class entrepreneurs and VCs to share their hard-earned success stories and secrets. This podcast has been brought to you by TiE Seattle. TiE is a global non-profit that focuses on fostering entrepreneurship. TiE Seattle offers a range of programs including the GoVertical Startup Creation Weekend, TiE Entrepreneur Institute, and the TiE Seattle Angel Network. We encourage you to become a TiE member so you can gain access to these great programs. To become a member, please visit www.Seattle.tie.org.
Episodes
In this episode of From Startup to Exit, we sit down with Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan, CEO and co-founder of CoreStack, to explore the company's remarkable journey from startup to global leader in multi-cloud and AI governance. Ez shares how his years building Microsoft Azure inspired him to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing enterprises: simplifying cloud adoption. He discusses how the team validated an ide...
What does it really take to build multiple successful startups—and recover from failure along the way?
In this episode of Startup Spotlight, hosts Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar sit down with Sonu Aggarwal, serial entrepreneur, former Microsoft executive, founder of Flash Communications, Cordon, and UnifiedSquare, and current President of TiE Seattle.
Sonu shares an honest and insightfu...
In this special tribute episode of From Startup to Exit, hosts Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar reflect on the life, legacy, and enduring impact of their dear friend, S. Somasegar—known to so many simply as “Soma.” A pioneering Microsoft executive, respected venture capitalist at Madrona, mentor, investor, and community builder, Soma touched countless lives across the technology and startup ecosy...
What does it take to build infrastructure for a world that didn't fully exist yet? In this episode, Kumar Senthil, CEO and Co-Founder of Firmly, shares how he spent five years quietly building the plumbing that lets AI agents discover products and complete purchases on behalf of consumers, all while keeping the merchant in control of their data and customer relationship.
Kumar recounts the long, often painful jou...
In this episode, we sit down with Praveen Seshadri, former Microsoft executive and co-founder and CEO of Thunk.AI. He previously co-founded AppSheet, which was acquired by Google.
Praveen shares his journey from leaving Microsoft at age 40 to navigating five pivots over two years before discovering product-market fit with AppSheet. He discusses how the company pioneered no-code and product-led growth, t...
In this heartfelt episode, Monish Darda remembers Samir Bodas not just as the CEO and co-founder of Icertis (https://www.icertis.com/), but as a close friend, co-founder, and extraordinary human being. He shares the origin story of Icertis, the trust that defined their partnership, and the values that shaped the company’s culture. Icertis is the market leader in Contract Lifecycle Management.
This is a ...
What happens when a former investment banker turns a life-changing personal experience into a startup? In this episode, Preeti Suri, founder of Adventure Tripper, shares how she built a curated marketplace for multi-day adventure travel—connecting travelers with vetted local guides around the world.
Preeti Suri is the Founder and CEO of AdventureTripr, a global adventure and wellness travel marketplace ...
In this episode, we feature Aravind Bala, who is the CTO and co-founder of Seekout. SeekOut (https://seekout.io) empowers companies to go beyond LinkedIn in recruiting hard-to-find and diverse talent. Prior to SeekOut, Aravind spent 14 years at Microsoft as a Partner Engineering Manager.
In this episode, Aravind shares the following:
- From Big Tech to startup leap: Aravind Bala shares why he left a 14-y...
Listen to our 2026 Annual Investment Outlook Panel with four top VCs. Get their perspective on the investment climate in 2026 and their plans to invest specifically in AI based startups. See how they did with their 2025 forecast and what their big predictions are for 2026.
Tim Porter, Managing Director, Madrona Ventures
Tim joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwe...
We’re excited to feature Yifan Zhang, Managing Director at AI2 Incubator, one of the most successful AI incubators in the world, born out of the Allen Institute for AI and backed by a newly announced $80M Fund III.
Yifan is a 2x founder and CEO, Entrepreneur “50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs” honoree, and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum. Her journey spans building and exiting venture-backed startups, na...
Join us for a dynamic highlight reel featuring short segments from the 2025 season of From Startup to Exit, TiE Seattle’s flagship podcast showcasing world-class entrepreneurs, innovators, and industry leaders sharing candid insights from their journeys. Each mini-segment brings you the essence of these remarkable conversations — from foundational lessons in product and leadership to reflections on how t...
Join us as Team Kymavi, the TYE Global winner, discusses their groundbreaking solution addressing environmental challenges through biodegradable bags, and Team Key Beauty, creators of an AI-driven makeup matching platform for women of color, shares their journey in redefining inclusivity in beauty.
The teams dive into their experiences with market research, customer validation, and developing sustainable busi...
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Ece Kamar, Director of the AI Frontiers Lab at Microsoft Research, and one of the leading voices in Responsible AI.
With over 15 years at Microsoft, Ece has played a pivotal role in shaping how AI systems are designed to collaborate with humans safely and effectively. She shares her journey from earning a PhD at Harvard University, where she researched how AI agents can b...
Yashovardhan Wagh is the co-founder & CEO of Gone.com, a Seattle-based circular commerce company giving quality goods a second life through local supply chains. He previously built supply chains for Amazon and other Fortune 100 companies. His mission: to build a national circular economy so future generations can thrive on a healthy planet.
Brought to you by TiE Seattle
Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shanka...
In this episode, we talk to Sabrina Wu who is an Investor at the famed VC firm Madrona Ventures. Sabrina shares her thoughts about closed source vs open source, agentic applications and the emergence of multi modal applications.
Sabrina joined Madrona’s investment team in 2021 and focuses on sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities from Seed through Series C across Madrona’s core investm...
In the final installment of the Microsoft@50 series, we interview Laura Jennings, who was the Vice President in charge of MSN and one of the senior most female executives at Microsoft in her time. Laura was the Microsoft executive who shifted MSN's strategy as a proprietary online service to becoming one of the top portal's on the internet. I worked for Laura and together we bought Hotmail and got into the search bu...
In the 5th installment of the Microsoft@50 series, we interview Brad Chase, who was the SVP in charge of the launch of Windows 95. Later on, he took over the reins for MSN. Brad joined Microsoft in 1987 and was the first product manager responsible for the launch of the Microsoft Office on the Mac. Later he became the Group Product Manager for MS D0S 5.0. Brad negotiated the licensing of the famous Start Me Up song ...
In this 4th installment of the Microsoft@50 series we bring you Steve Wood who was the sixth employee at Microsoft. He was recruited out of Stanford where he completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering. He went on to work at Microsoft's Albuquerque office in 1976 where he had the opportunity to work closely with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. He worked on the FORTRAN compiler before becoming a General Manager. He le...
This is the 3rd installment of the Microsoft@50 series. We interview Robbie Bach, who was the Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft and the founder of Xbox at Microsoft. Before founding Xbox, he ran Microsoft Office and made it into the standard it is today. After 22 years at Microsoft, Robbie announced his retirement from Microsoft effective in the fall of 2010. Robbie has spoken to corporate, academic, and civic groups ...
This is the 2nd installment of the Microsoft@50 series. We interview Jeff Raikes, who was President of the Business Systems Division at Microsoft. Jeff was the one of the senior most executives at Microsoft after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Jeff served as a member of the company’s senior leadership team that set the overall strategy and direction for the firm. He began his career with Microsoft in 1981 and w...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.