The Founder Initiative
Helping founders hit PMF, get funded & drive durable growth through podcasting & buyer events (Formerly TheTop.VC)
$100M Security Problems: 4 AI Cybersecurity Startups Pitch Tonic AI CSO Robert Lowry (
In this special Founder Initiative pitch episode, four cybersecurity founders pitch their startups live to Robert Lowry, CSO of Tonic AI and former security leader at organizations including NASDAQ and the Federal Reserve Bank. Robert Lowry- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowryrobert/ The conversation covers some of the biggest emerging enterprise security challenges around AI agents, shadow AI, runtime protection, memory systems, cybersecurity data infrastructure, and modern SOC operations. Featuring: * IceGuard — next-generation AI-native cybersecurity data infrastructure - Anders Holden, https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersbholden/ * Optimus Labs — agent defense and AI runtime governance - Nipun Gupta - https://www.linkedin.com...
($70M+ raised) DOSS Founder, Wiley Jones: How to actually build an AI native company (don't miss this one)
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. FOUNDER PROFILE: Wiley Jones, Founder of DOSS https://www.linkedin.com/in/wileycwjones/
($22M Raised) Sequoia India & Naval Ravikant-Backed TrueFoundry Founder Nikunj Bajaj: Balancing Short-Term Execution with Long-Term Vision
- TrueFoundry, founded by Nikunj Bajaj, is an AI infrastructure company building an "AI Gateway" that helps enterprises build, ship, and govern agentic AI applications, focusing on observability and governance for AI agents. - The company has raised over $22 million, with pre-seed investment from Sequoia and India Capital, and Series A led by Intel Capital; notable angel investors include Naval Ravikant, Anthony Goldblum, Gokul Rajaram, Sian Banister, and Lenny Rachitsky. - The founding team leveraged their experience at Meta and WorldQuant to identify a gap in the market: the need for a vertically integrated stack for machine learning and AI, similar...
($22.5M raised) Koah Labs Founder, Mike Choi: Internal Squad Operating System, Why End User Experience is the North Star for AI Ad Networks
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Mike Choi, Founder of Koah Labs https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejschoi/ - Koah Labs, founded by Mike Choi, is an AI-native ad network that helps AI applications monetize through sponsored experiences, focusing on tasteful ad integration for end users. - The company was initially bootstrapped, pivoted to the AI ads idea after strong market pull, and quickly built and launched its first product in early 2025. - Koah Labs has raised approximately $22–$25.5 million, with a seed round led by Forerunner and a Series A le...
($650M+ raised) Temporal Founder, Samar Abbas: #1 Startup Insight – Give the Problem a Name Before You Solve It (Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, Index Ventures, Sequoia invested).
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
- Samar Abbas, Founder of temporal.io
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samar-abbas-381997/
- Samar Abbas, co-founder of Temporal.io, shares the journey of building an open-source platform that ensures durable execution of code, allowing developers to focus on business logic instead of handling failures and reliability.
- Temporal.io originated from years of experience at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Uber, where Samar and his co-founder iterated on workflow and state man...
($30M raised) Kintsugi Founder, Jeff Gibson: Building “Boring” Fintech for Global Tax Compliance—Why Trust and Customer Support Win in Massive, Overlooked Markets
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Jeff Gibson, Founder of Kintsugi https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgibsonsf/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Kintsugi, founded by Jeff Gibson, provides an AI-driven platform that automates global indirect tax compliance (VAT, GST, sales tax, etc.) for internet businesses, handling tax calculation, collection, and remittance.
- The company targets SMBs and mid-market companies selling online, offering a simple, automated solution to a complex, high-risk compliance problem, resulting in high customer retention and low churn.
- Kintsugi’s founding insi...
($5M+ raised) Lava's Founder, Mitchell Jones: #1 Startup Insight – The Power of Iteration, Tracking Micro Signals, and Staying True to Your ICP
- Lava, founded by Mitchell Jones, makes it easy for businesses to adopt AI-driven, measurement-based pricing, helping companies track usage and convert it into flexible pricing plans.
- Mitchell emphasizes constant iteration on the elevator pitch and product, using customer feedback and discovery calls to refine both messaging and features.
- The company’s core insight is that traditional seat-based SaaS pricing breaks down in the AI era, where usage—not seats—drives value and cost, requiring new pricing models.
- Mitchell shares lessons on founder discipline: focus on real customer pain, avoid feature creep b...
(YC W25) FuseAI's Founder, Saurav Bubber: How to deliver a 10x improvement in of the most crowded markets
Thank you Auth0 for Startups, a sponsor of TFI
Checkout their → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Saurav Bubber, Founder of FuseAI
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sauravbubber/
($105M+ raised) Rocketlane Founder, Srikrishnan Ganesan: #1 Startup Insight – How Relentless Prospect Interviews and a Unique Go-to-Market Unlocked PMF
- Rocketlane, founded by Srikrishnan Ganesan, spent its first year deeply researching the professional services automation (PSA) space, interviewing over 170 prospects and building conviction around unmet needs for customer-facing project management.
- The team identified a key pain point: companies struggled with the gap between contracted and live ARR, making effective onboarding and project delivery a board-level priority, especially for mid-market and upmarket tech companies.
- Rocketlane differentiated itself by building an all-in-one PSA platform tailored for services teams, integrating project management, customer collaboration, project accounting, and new AI-powered features like Nitro to automate and execute services...
($300M raised) Nile Founder, Pankaj Patel: #1 Startup Insight – Simplicity is Innovation: How Disrupting Enterprise Networking Might Mean Unlearning Decades of Complexity
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Pankaj Patel, Founder of Nile https://www.linkedin.com/in/pankajpspatel/
Forum Ventures Managing Partner, Jonah Midanik: #1 Startup Insight – Why Fundraising Is a Game, Valuations Are Made Up, and Seeing Past the Pitch to Find Venture-Scale Outcomes
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Jonah Midanik, Managing Partner of Forum Ventures
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahmidanik/
($150M raised) Sendoso Founder, Kris Rudeegraap: #1 Startup Insight – Don’t Let Early Pricing Give You False Product-Market Fit
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Kris Rudeegraap, Founder of Sendoso
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap
($20M raised) Quanta Founder, Helen Hastings: #1 Startup Insight – Your Scariest Customers Are Actually the Best Ones
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → Founders, check out their upcoming $100k buyer pitch at Fort Mason in San Francisco: https://luma.com/beelieve
Helen Hastings, Founder of Quanta
https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenbhastings/
($110M raised) Augment Founder, Harish Abbott: #1 Startup Advice - Are You A Better Seeker of Truth Than Your Competitors?
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Harish Abbott, Founder of Augment
https://www.linkedin.com/in/habbott/
($70M raised) Craft Founder, Ilya Levtov: Pivot Decision, Top Funding Insights, and Journey to PMF
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. FOUNDER PROFILE: Ilya Levtov, Founder of Craft https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilya-levtov/
(YC S21) Baubap Founder, Roberto Salcedo: Gratitude As A Growth Strategy, Insights Raising $100M+
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Roberto Salcedo, Founder of Baubap
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-salcedo-nieto/?originalSubdomain=mx
($20M+ Raised) UneeQ Digital Humans Founder, Danny Tomsett: Enjoying The Journey, Two Phases of Fundraising & Making A Massive Pivot
Danny Tomsett, Founder of UneeQ Digital Humans
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-tomsett/"
($2.4B AUM) Amplify Partners Founder, Sunil Dhaliwal: Difference Between Investments & Passing, Startup Investing In 10 Years
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups Sunil Dhaliwal, General Partner of Amplify Partners https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunildhaliwal/
Sequoia Led $75M Series B, Serval's Founder, Jake Stauch, Shares His Journey to PMF & Raising $127M
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
Jake Stauch, Founder of Serval
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestauch/
(YC S25) Phases’s Founder, James Wall: IRL, Donuts & A Rental Car To Hit PMF?
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups James Wall, Founder of Phases.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-m-wall/
($80M raised) Spellbook Founder, Scott Stevenson: 30k Waitlist Signups in 3 Months & The True Discipline of PMF
Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Scott Stevenson, Founder of Spellbook
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottas
($70M+ Raised) Merge Founder, Gil Feig: Nailing Customer Discovery Interview To Hit PMF Faster
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Gil Feig, Founder of Merge
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilfeig/
($25M raised) Indomo Founder, Rick Bente: Estimating Value Milestones, Raising $25M, and more
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Rick Bente, Founder of Indomo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-bente/
(Silicon Valley Investor) Platform Venture Studio's Founder, Jeremy Burton: Why Now Is The Time To Build A Marketplace Startup
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Jeremy Burton, Founder of Platform Venture Studio https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremymburton
(YC W22) Cotera Founder, Tom Firth: Getting Into YC & Hitting PMF
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE: Tom Firth, Founder of Cotera https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdfirth/
Building A Unicorn: Chargebee's Co-Founder, Krish Subramanian & CMO, Guy Marion (formerly Brightback Founder, sold to Chargebee): hitting PMF, idea to 1st dollar & decision to exit
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Krish Subramanian, Founder - Chargebee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishs/
Guy Marion, CMO - Chargebee- https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymarion
Amazon Invested In Glacier; This Is Their Founder's Story, Rebecca Hu-Thrams
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Rebecca Hu, Founder of Glacier Robotics
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccabhu
(2000+ investments) Dave Lambert, Managing Director at RSCM, Shares Traits of Successful Founders
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Dave Lambert, Founder of Right Side Capital Management https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlambert55/
($100M raised) RetailNext Founder, Alexei Agratchev: Earned Insights From 18-Years (funding, growth, & scaling)
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Alexei Agratchev, Founder of RetailNext https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeiagratchev/
(YC S21) $10M ARR, Storylane Founder, Nalin Senthamil: PMF Unlock - Are Prospects Interrupting You?
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Nalin Senthamil, Founder of Storylane
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalinpradeep
(YC S23) Gleam Founder, Oliver Keh: Investigative Journalist Approach To PMF
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Oliver Keh, Founder of Gleam
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-keh
COMPANY: https://joingleam.com/
Gleam automatically extracts data from any source, intelligently validates it against protocol, eliminates queries before they occur, and instantly populates your EDC—accelerating database lock a...
(YC W21) Sold to Dropbox, Promoted.ai's Founder, Andrew Yates: GTM Lessons Learned & Deciding What To Build
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Andrew Yates, Founder of Dropbox, Promoted.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-yates-0217a985
Roo Capital's Founder, Nate DaPore: Most VCs Are Like Seagulls, Is This The Future of Platform?
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
VC PROFILE:
Nate DaPore, Founder of Roo Capital
https://www.linkedin.com/in/natedapore/
(YC F25) Denied 6x By YC: Hyperspell's Founder, Conor Brennan-Burke: Your Startup Is Not About You
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE: Conor Brennan-Burke, Founder of Hyperspell (YC F25) https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbrennanburke
a16z Partner Interview, Seema Amble: 3 things she looks for in early-stage startups, how to get a meeting with her, & more
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
VC PROFILE:
Seema Amble, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seema-amble-b404126/
($70M+ Raised) Future Family Founder, Claire Tomkins: Surprising Key To Fundraising, Journey To PMF
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Claire Tomkins, Founder of Future Family
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-tomkins-b122422/
($55M Raised) Benchmark & Mayfield Invested; Sema4.ai's Founder, Ram Venkatesh: Getting Early Conviction, Hitting PMF & Raising $55M
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups → 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX. VC PROFILE: Ram Venkatesh, Founder of Sema4.ai https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-venkatesh-34166/
a16z Invested; $55M Raised, CYGNVS' Founder, Arvind Parthasarathi, why you must first define PMF & how to raise from top VC
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
FOUNDER PROFILE:
Arvind Parthasarathi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindparthasarathi/
YC Founder & Thiel Fellow; Arist's Founder, Michael loffe: selling to enterprises, PMF, & articulating $100M to VCs
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
VC PROFILE:
Micahel loffe, Founder of Arist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaioffe/
$13B VC; Promod Haque, Former Managing Partner at Norwest; Learning From 35 Years of Investing
Sponsored by Auth0 for Startups --> 1-year free https://auth0.com/startups/vip
Auth0 is an adaptable authentication and authorization platform that helps you secure your apps and AI agents. It delivers convenience, privacy, and security so you can focus on building a great UX.
VC PROFILE:
Promod Haque
https://www.linkedin.com/in/promodhaque/
