The Startup Podcast

Are you sure your startup should be raising venture capital?

Most founders assume VC is the goal—but for many, it's the wrong fuel entirely. In this episode, we bust that myth wide open.

Join Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad as they sit down with Amir Shevat, General Partner at Darkmode Ventures (ex-Google, Slack, Twitter), to unpack the seven most damaging mistakes founders make when raising early-stage capital. With over ...

What happens when the internet starts charging AI to crawl its content?

And can legacy tools like Figma or Grammarly survive the AI age, or will they be replaced by smarter, faster upstarts?

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad break down some of the most important shifts in tech and business right now. From Cloudflare’s launch of AI pay-per-crawl to Grammarly’s bold acquisitions and Figma’s high-stakes IPO, this is an unf...

Struggling to get good results from ChatGPT or other AI tools? You’re probably prompting it wrong, and you’re not alone.

Many founders assume AI just knows what you mean. Without the right prompt structure, though, even the most powerful LLMs will fail to deliver.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Jonathan Mast—seasoned entrepreneur, AI educator, and creator of the Perfect Prompt Framework—to break down how anyone, from s...

Is training AI on copyrighted content stealing, or just learning? A major U.S. court just weighed in, and the verdict could rewrite the rules for startups using generative AI.

Too many founders assume "training data" is fair game but that blind spot could cost them billions. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad, experienced startup operators and product strategists, dive into a landmark copyright ruling and what it means ...

Is AI about to transform the world… gently? Sam Altman says yes, but are we being lulled into complacency while the real risks go unchallenged?

Startups everywhere are rushing to embed AI into their workflows, but few understand just how flawed that human-AI interaction can be. From broken prompting to billion-dollar power plays, the future of AI in business is murkier than it looks.

In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bern...

What if your next startup competitor doesn’t have a single employee?

AI agents aren’t just another software trend — they’re redefining the interface between humans, data, and execution, yet many founders still confuse basic chatbots with the true potential of these agents.

In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Jeremiah Owyang, General Partner at Blitzscaling Ventures and host of Silicon Valley’s top AI startup event, Llama L...

Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote revealed a lot – just not what you’d expect.

Siri’s long-awaited AI upgrade was quietly delayed, and instead Apple rolled out a grab bag of long-overdue features, flashy design updates, and deep ChatGPT integrations. Is this a bold product reset, or proof that Apple is falling behind?

Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Donald Trump butt heads, Ukraine rewrites warfare with AI-powered drones, and a16z explains...

Can consumer tech like Facebook and Oculus really help win wars?

As governments get serious about AI and startups, Silicon Valley is being dragged—sometimes unwillingly—into the global military and geopolitical game.

In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein unpack how Meta is teaming up with Anduril—the military tech startup founded by Oculus’ Palmer Luckey—to bring XR (Extended Reality) to the battlefield. They also b...

Are you building a startup strategy—or just making it look like you have one?

Too many founders mistake polished slide decks for actual strategic thinking, leading to misalignment, wasted resources, and failed products.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad are joined by Marcelo Calbucci, former Amazon director and author of The PRFAQ Framework. They dive into how Amazon’s famously effective six-page PRFAQ process forces de...

What does it mean when OpenAI gives away $6 billion worth of equity just to bring one man on board?

In a world where design, brand, and user experience could determine AI dominance, are startups undervaluing human-centered thinking?

In this episode, Chris and Yaniv unpack OpenAI’s jaw-dropping acquisition of Jony Ive's mysterious startup “io,” and what it means for the future of AI hardware. They also break down Claude 4’s strategic ...

Is Google staging the biggest comeback in tech history? Or are we just getting swept up in the hype?

Founders often underestimate just how fast platform shifts change the rules of the game, and Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are rewriting the rulebook in real time.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad break down Google’s massive AI showcase at I/O 2025, spotlighting the rollout of Gemini Live, Gmail Smart Replies, a...

Can AI really design your home? 800,000+ users have already ditched their architects thanks to Maket, a startup using AI to simplify renovations from floorplans to permits.

In this Spotlight episode, Maket founder Patrick Murphy delivers a mock version of the real pitch that secured $2M in funding from top investors including Reid Hoffman’s Blitzscaling Ventures. Maket’s platform uses generative AI to help homeowners and builder...

What happens when Apple hints that Google’s search dominance may be cracking, triggering a $155 billion wipeout in Alphabet’s value?

Many still think Google search is untouchable, but a shift in user behavior and a few lines in DOJ testimony may signal otherwise.

In this episode, Chris Saad, Yaniv Bernstein, and Amir Shevat explore how Apple’s revelation about declining Safari search traffic could mark a turning point for Google, wha...

A strong co-founder relationship is crucial for any startup. Learn how to determine the ideal number of founders and understand the distinctions between roles and titles.

Also, Chris and Yaniv explain what you must know about:

• The pros and cons of going solo vs. multiple founders.

• CEOs and Founders and the distinction between roles and responsibilities.

• Considerations on equity splits and vesting schedules.

• Co-CEO conflicts and what...

OpenAI just dropped $3B on vibe coding—should software engineers be worried?

And what happens now that Apple’s 30% App Store tax just took a major legal hit?

In this episode of The Startup Podcast, hosts Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are joined by seasoned founder and investor Hooman Radfar (CEO at Collective, ex-VC at Expa) to unpack three seismic shifts shaping the future of tech startups today.

They dive deep into OpenAI’s $3B mov...

Think staying profitable means you’re on the right track? Think again.

Too many founders obsess over budgets and burn—but the real risk isn’t running out of cash. It’s growing too slowly to matter.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Michiel Boere, CFO of Remote and former CFO of Uber Eats, to demystify startup finance for non-financial founders. Drawing from his experience scaling Uber and managing 50+ audits at Remote, Mi...

Instagram’s co-founder, Kevin Systrom, helped define the modern social web—now he’s calling out Zuckerberg in court.

And are Apple’s smart glasses finally catching up to Meta’s AI-powered wearables?

In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein react to some of the biggest headlines in tech and startup land.

From explosive testimony by Instagram’s co-founder to Apple’s delayed (but intriguing) entry into foldables and wearables...

In today's fast-paced digital world, capturing and retaining attention is the most valuable currency for startups. But how can you thrive in a hypercompetitive landscape where rejection is the default response?

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad are joined by Ben Parr, acclaimed author of Captivology: The Science of Capturing People’s Attention, to dive deep into the attention economy.

In this episode, they explore:

• ...

Huawei has just announced a new AI chip—does this mean tariffs accelerating Chinese innovation?

This week, Chris Saad, Yaniv Bernstein, and guest Amir Shevat dig into how the AI trade war and tech monopolies are reshaping the global startup landscape. Plus, on a lighter note: why Sam Altman says politeness in AI prompts is surprisingly expensive.

In this episode, you will:

• Break down how China’s Huawei is pushing out a ho...