Episodes

Join Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima & Tribe co-founder Raj Suri as they explore tech's evolving relationship with politics. From Biden's "tech industrial complex" remarks to the changing power dynamics between tech companies and their employees, they discuss how the industry's traditional political neutrality is giving way to partisan alignment. The conversation delves into startup fundraising strategies, the importance of market size, and hard-earned lessons about the five-year journey to ...

In a special episode to kickoff the New Year, Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima co-founder Rajat Suri share personal reflections and industry predictions. From Raj's mission to revolutionize international talent recruiting through Lima to Immad's vision for expanding Mercury beyond startup banking, the conversation offers a candid look at their entrepreneurial journeys and goals. The discussion then shifts to the evolving landscape of crypto infrastructure with ZeroHash founder Edward Woodford. ...

What drives entrepreneurs to push boundaries is often a deep desire to leave a lasting mark on the world. In this episode, System 2 founder Dilan Dane joins Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima co-founder Rajat Suri to explore how this entrepreneurial drive naturally extends into the realms of human potential and discovery. From his journey out of Sri Lanka to becoming a serial founder and biohacking enthusiast, Dane embodies the restless curiosity that characterizes many founders. The conversation...

Join Immad Akhund and Raj Suri as they dive deep with John Bicket, co-founder and CTO of Samsara and previously Meraki, into the rare feat of building two successful hardware-software companies. From turning MIT research into a cloud networking pioneer at Meraki to revolutionizing fleet operations at Samsara, John shares candid insights about the existential challenges of serial entrepreneurship, the discipline of testing product-market fit, and how to scale company culture while staying ruthles...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj sit down with Daniel Kivatinos, founder of JustPaid and DrChrono. The group starts by sharing their startup war stories, including Raj's shocking tale of an intern-turned-criminal and Daniel's unconventional recruitment of a Chipotle employee. The discussion then delves into the complexities of healthcare in America, sparked by recent news of the UnitedHealth CEO shooting, before transitioning into valuable insights about the M&A process. Daniel...

In this wide-ranging conversation with Box CEO Aaron Levie, Immad and Raj dive deep into the intersection of technology, politics, and regulation. Levie shares candid insights about quiet quitting, what’s real about AI and crypto, and his thought-provoking views on government regulation. They explore the potential of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and the delicate balance between regulatory oversight and technological progress. Want to join the conversation? Connect with us on Tribe...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Raj sits down solo with Leonard Speiser, co-founder of Clover, to explore the intricacies of building and scaling hardware startups. Speiser shares the remarkable story of how Clover achieved what seemed impossible: developing enterprise-grade payment hardware from concept to production in just nine months, eventually processing over $300 billion in payments. He discusses the innovative acquisition structure with KKR that allowed Clover to maintain startup ag...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj sit down with Wayne Crosby, a serial entrepreneur and former Google executive. They dive into Wayne's journey from his early startup Zenter (which became Google Slides) through his decade at Google, exploring how the tech giant's innovative culture shifted over time. The conversation spans Wayne's current venture OrgOrg, his decision to return to Y Combinator as an experienced founder, and transitions into a thoughtful discussion about the poten...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj sit down with veteran entrepreneur Dave Balter to discuss the ups and downs of startup. Balter shares candid insights from his journey founding seven companies, including his experiences with co-founder relationships, maintaining humility during success, and managing self-doubt as a CEO. The conversation weaves through various topics, from the challenges of scaling companies to crypto regulation and politics, with Balter offering particularly th...

Immad and Raj sit down with Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, a pioneering biotech company developing drugs to increase lifespan longevity in dogs. This episode highlights the unique challenges of building a biotech company, from navigating FDA approval processes to explaining longevity science to investors. The conversation also explores alternative funding sources beyond traditional VC, with all three founders sharing war stories about their toughest fundraising experiences. Whether yo...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj sit down with Roger Dickey (Mafia Wars, Gigster, and Untitled Capital) for a deep dive into startup ideation and product-led growth. Roger shares his structured process for generating hundreds of startup ideas, including his unique "matrix approach." The three founders discuss the joys and challenges of building consumer-facing products, and examine the nuances between different growth strategies, from inherent virality to word-of-mouth marketin...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad Akhund and Raj Suri are joined by special guest Sheel Mohnot, founder of BTV Ventures and 500 FinTech. The trio dive into a wide-ranging discussion covering the state of FinTech, entrepreneurship in India, and the evolving landscape of social media. This episode offers listeners a blend of practical advice and thought-provoking discussions on the current state of startup and entrepreneurship. Want to join the conversation? Connect with us on Tribe: ht...

Immad and Raj sit down with Martin Basiri, co-founder and former CEO of ApplyBoard and current CEO of Passage, for a conversation that delves deep into the world of education technology and immigration. Martin shares insights on the challenges and opportunities present in the education sector, discussing ApplyBoard's unique business model and the impact it has had on international students. They examine the current state of higher education, the importance of immigration for economic growth in c...

Immad and Raj sit down with Paul English, the co-founder and former CTO of Kayak, for a deep dive into consumer tech startups. Paul shared some fascinating insights from his entrepreneurial journey, including building capital-efficient companies, leveraging AI to boost productivity, and the future of AR glasses and wearables. In addition, Paul shares why he believes founders should run both for-profit and non-profit ventures, and how he manages to balance multiple projects while maintaining low ...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj dive into the latest developments in AI, discussing OpenAI's new O1 model and its impressive reasoning capabilities. The conversation explores potential applications for this technology and debates the future of vertical AI startups. The conversation then shifts to the challenges and benefits of remote work, sparked by Amazon's recent decision to require employees back in the office five days a week. Immad and Raj share insights from their exper...

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj welcome Silicon Valley legend Paul Buchheit. As the creator of Gmail, an early Google pioneer, and a Y Combinator partner, Paul shares his unique perspectives on the rapidly evolving AI landscape and its implications for startups and society. The conversation covers the current state of large language models and their potential future developments, opportunities for new social apps in the age of AI, and the impact of AI on search engines and Goo...

Immad and Raj are joined by special guest Greg Isenberg (Late Checkout) to discuss the recent buzz around "founder mode" and debate the merits of VC-backing in startup. Greg provides insights from his experiences building multiple businesses, sharing where he’s seen other ‘modes’ and highlighting the freedom and financial benefits of avoiding VC funding. Whether you're a founder weighing funding options or interested in startup strategy, this episode offers a thought-provoking look at different ...

Today on Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj explore two of the largest stories in startup this week: The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, and what Nvidia’s latest earnings report indicates about the future of AI. Immad and Raj debate the complexities of free speech, encryption, and international regulations for tech companies that Durov’s arrest has raised; before turning their attention toward AI to discuss whether we're in an AI bubble, how the technology might impact productivity across v...

In the debut episode of "Founders in Arms," Immad Akhund (Mercury) and Raj Suri (Lima, Presto, and Lyft) explore the growing impact of regulatory capture on startups in Silicon Valley. They discuss how tech's focus has shifted to more regulated spaces like deep tech, fintech, and AI, examining both the challenges and opportunities for startups in these areas. The hosts analyze the current political climate's effect on tech regulation and share advice for entrepreneurs considering regulated space...