TechnologyBusinessInvestingEducationHow To

The NFX Podcast

NFX

The NFX Podcast is for founders building the next generation of technology companies.

At NFX, we believe the best startups are built by founders who understand network effects, defensibility, and the power of product-led growth. On this podcast, we go deep with entrepreneurs, operators, and investors on what it actually takes to go from zero to one — and from one to market-defining.

We explore startup strategy, early-stage fundraising, AI-native company building, marketplaces, growth loops, network effects, and the frameworks behind enduring tech companies. But more than tactics, this is about the founder journey — decision-making under uncertainty, building conviction, developing taste, hiring early teams, and creating companies that matter.

If you’re a startup founder, builder, or early operator looking to think differently and build something durable, this is your edge.

Built for founders. Backed by network effects. Powered by NFX.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 40 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

#184
April 1 · 30 min
AI Will Turn Everyone Into a Gamer w/ Max Child
Max Child (Founder & CEO of Weekend, the #1 voice AI games company in the world, formerly Volley) breaks down why AI will turn everyone into a gamer — not just the hardcore players. We explore how AI is shifting gaming from button presses to conversation, unlocking entirely new types of interactive experiences on the biggest screen in the home: the TV. Max shares how Weekend is building AI-powered games across smart TVs, why this platform shift could expand gaming to billions of new users, and h
#183
March 4 · 46 min
How AI Is Rewriting Video Games w/ Nick Walton
AI is transforming gaming — not incrementally, but fundamentally. In this episode of The NFX Podcast, James Currier sits down with Nick Walton, CEO of Latitude (AI Dungeon, Voyage), to break down what it really means to build an AI-native game company — and why traditional AAA studios may be unprepared for what’s coming. Nick was experimenting with GPT-2 in 2019 before most people had heard of it. Since then, Latitude has become one of the earliest and most advanced players in AI-powered games,
#182
January 30 · 1 hr 11 min
How AI is Forcing Startups to Rethink Pricing w/ Madhavan Ramanujam
Recorded at the NFX SF HQ, this episode features Madhavan Ramanujam (author of Monetizing Innovation and Scaling Innovation), alongside Pete Flint (GP at NFX, founder of Trulia) and Anna Piñol (Partner at NFX). Together, they break down how AI is changing the rules of pricing, defensibility, and growth. He covers the shift from services to venture capital, AI monetization, and how early discussions on willingness to pay shape value capture. Strategies for seed-stage startups, successful POCs, an
#181
January 28 · 1 hr 41 min
The Product Intuition Behind $800M+ In Exits w/ Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan
Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan shares her journey from AdMob to founding Drawbridge and her subsequent transition to LinkedIn. She discusses the mobile advertising revolution, the success of AdMob during the iPhone launch, and its acquisition by Google. Kamakshi highlights Drawbridge's unique value proposition and the challenges of navigating ad tech regulations. She offers insights on customer relationships, board management, and acquisition processes. Kamakshi also delves into her transition to Lin
#180
January 26 · 1 hr 6 min
How Running Out of Money Made DocSend a $165M Success w/ Russ Heddleston
Russ Heddleston, founder of DocSend, shares how nearly going bankrupt forced them to rethink everything—turning a failing startup into a product-led rocket ship that Dropbox bought for $165M. From spreadsheets of startup ideas, to the painful lessons of chasing enterprise sales, to doubling their prices and watching conversions skyrocket, Russ breaks down the hard truths behind building a breakout SaaS company. Plus: why he wishes he hadn’t sold, and what he’s doing differently with his next sta
#178
January 24 · 55 min
How Tracy Young Sold PlanGrid for $875M and Navigated Tragedy
Tracy Young, co-founder of PlanGrid, shares how her background in construction led to building one of the most successful startups in the space—culminating in an $875M acquisition by Autodesk. She dives into lessons learned on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, and navigating founder relationships as the company scaled. Tracy also reflects on her time at Y Combinator, the fundraising process, and the emotional challenges of selling a company. Post-acquisition, she transitioned into coach
#179
January 22 · 1 hr 7 min
How a $500 TV Ad Turned Credit Karma into a $7B Empire w/ Ken Lin
Ken Lin founded Credit Karma in 2007, bootstrapped through the recession, survived a near-shutdown by TransUnion, and ultimately sold to Intuit for $7.1B. In this episode, Ken shares how a $500 DIY TV ad broke their growth, why he avoided an IPO, the non-negotiables that mattered most in M&A, and where AI is taking personal finance next. A must-listen for any founder navigating scale, culture, and billion-dollar decisions.
#176
Mar 20, 2024 · 35 min
The NFX Podcast w/ Alex Babin of HerculesAI
Hercules builds high-quality, enterprise-grade AI solutions based on data extraction, transformation, and verification, while integrating with enterprise systems and tools for maintenance and monitoring. Join NFX general partner James Currier and HerculesAI CEO Alex Babin talk about the latest breakthroughs in the AI space of enterprise companies.
#175
Oct 22, 2023 · 16 min
Real Estate’s Hidden AI Revolution (Sunday Readouts)
This is an essay readout using an AI voice clone of NFX general partner, Pete Flint. AI has the potential to smooth out many links in the real estate production chain and create a cascade that will close the productivity gap. This essay reveals what’s on the way and how founders can seize this opportunity. Read the full essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/ai-revolution-proptech
#173
Jul 26, 2023 · 34 min
"Astronauts for Inner Space" with Raed Khawaja
Morgan Beller calls up Raed Khawaja - CEO & Co-Founder at Open - to catch up and talk about the current movement around one's 'inner-space'. Open is a social space for meditation, movement, and practice — on and offline, who’s raised close to $15M to help friends be present together. They blend old and new to bring you to the here and now on their app, in person at their Venice Beach studio, and even in the sky on JetBlue airlines. Their hybrid method strengthens the mind-body connection. NFX
#171
Jul 23, 2023 · 18 min
Generative Tech Begins (Sunday Readouts)
This is an essay readout using an AI voice clone of NFX general partner, James Currier. Generative Tech is the next step in software. It’s a new level of human-machine partnership. It turns deep learning engines into collaborators to generate new content and ideas nearly like a human would. This area is so new, and moving so fast, you can have an advantage in your chosen area in a few months… for now. Read the full essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/generative-tech
#170
Jul 16, 2023 · 4 min
3 Waves of Successful Generative Tech Startups (Sunday Readouts)
This is an essay readout using an AI voice clone of NFX general partner, James Currier. Every 14 years there’s a tech revolution, and we have now entered the Generative Tech revolution. Anything you’re interested in, anything you’re working on is going to be impacted by generative tech and generative AI. In addition to the AI model companies, many unicorns and decacorns will be built, starting now. We’re already seeing three types of winners. If you can wrap your mind around what is happening wi
#168
Jun 25, 2023 · 8 min
AI x Speed (Sunday Readouts)
This is an essay readout using an AI voice clone of NFX general partner, James Currier. The AI revolution just ratcheted up the speed bar for startups. You think you’re moving fast enough. You’re not. Speed is the number one advantage of a startup. But now that generative AI here, your definition of speed has to increase 10x. Read the full essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/speed-and-ai
#166
Jan 20, 2023 · 1 hr
Building Your Startup’s Attention Flywheel with Vijay Chattha (Founder of VSC)
There’s a concept in network theory called Preferential Attachment. When one node gets ahead, it attracts more resources, and more attention. It's a snowball effect. PR for your company works the same way. Once you become the biggest node, more resources flow to you. Today, NFX General Partner James Currier sits down with Vijay Chattha, founder of PR agency VSC to reveal how to build that attention flywheel. VSC has worked with NFX unicorn companies like Mammoth Biosciences, Poshmark, and Outd
#155
Jan 18, 2023 · 45 min
The Strategies of Elite CEOs with Avishai Abrahami (CEO & Co-Founder of Wix)
The transition from Founder to CEO is a watershed moment in your company, and in your life. A great Founder creates something from nothing. A great CEO takes the next step, and builds mechanisms of success. They turn that vision into a well-functioning machine. Becoming a great CEO is a matter of tactics and personal growth. Today, NFX General Partner Gigi Levy-Weiss reveals how to get there, with special guest Avishai Abrahami, the founder of Wix. Avishai built Wix into a company of about 5,00
#165
Jan 10, 2023 · 46 min
NFXBio: Deal or Die – A Guide to TechBio Business Development and Strategy
There are two parts to building a bioplatform: you have to focus on the science, then you have to think about the business side. When do you partner? When do you develop your own products? How can you determine the real value of a deal? How do you build a strategic network? What avenues are Founders overlooking right now? These are questions our companies ask us all the time. Today, Head of NFXBio Omri Amirav-Dory, Yael Gruenbaum-Cohen, a venture partner at aMoon Fund, and Peter Nell, former
#161
Jan 5, 2023 · 44 min
NFXBio: Tech Founders, Don’t Be Afraid of Bio
There’s huge value in integrating tech and bio. But many tech entrepreneurs don’t realize what they can bring to the field. Tech entrepreneurs: you can come to bio, if you learn to speak the language. Today, head of NFX Bio Omri Amirav-Drory sits down with his former co-founder at Genome Compiler, and Founder of Mana.bio Yogev Debbi. Yogev has bridged the gap between tech and bio several times in his career. Here’s how to build a culture of trust, leverage your fresh perspective, and build im
#162
Dec 21, 2022 · 9 min
Ep 11: Network Effects In TechBio (NFX Masterclass)
Biology is the most advanced technology on earth. It’s a nanotechnology that actually works, and it scales. The rest of the world will benefit when there are more TechBio founders and investors in the space and this sector has never been more central to shaping a better future. The next significant phase of human progress is going to be led by these Scientist-Founders who build TechBio companies capable of unlocking that future. In this episode, general partner Omri Drory explores how network ef
#161
Dec 14, 2022 · 17 min
Ep 10: Network Effects In Gaming (NFX Masterclass)
We are in the first wave of web3 games, and some believe that games don't have network effects built into their development or long-term strategy. In this episode, listen to NFX partner Gigi Levy-Weiss as he dives into the world of defensibility within the gaming industry, sharing the 4 layers of network effects, the future of virtual goods, and a case study on Steam - the leading platform for video game development. This is an audio version of episode 10 from The Network Effects Masterclass, c
#158
Dec 7, 2022 · 24 min
Ep 9: Why Network Effects Are (Even) More Powerful In Web3 (NFX Masterclass)
In Web3, network effects are fundamental and critical to survival. If you’re building in Web3 properly, then it should automatically include network effects. Listen in as General Partner Morgan Beller acts like the river guide of network effects for Web3 as she shares her experience and insights on how to be defensible in this new world. Eventually, we will see Web3 swallow Web2 - look how much we’ve learned since that white paper for BTC arrived in 2009. Founders on the frontlines of the Web3

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes