A show about founders and the people who believed in them before anyone else.

Joined February 2026
Leap Forward Podcast retweeted
What would it look like if we electrified everything? Is electrification as an idea dead? The answers might surprise you. I sat down with @samcalisch (CEO of Copper) and @GriffithSaul to talk about just that. Check out the full episode here: play.megaphone.fm/36j_9gxoqu…
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Season 2 of Leap Forward launches today! We’re diving deep into some of the most iconic startups, hearing from the founders and those who know them best: a brother, a first employee, a close personal friend. First episode with Steve Huffman (CEO/Reddit): play.megaphone.fm/36j_9gxoqu…
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Immad Akhund's mom believed in him through every startup, even when she didn't understand what he was building. Hear the story behind $5.2 Billion @Mercury's founder and the person who believed first on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/mercu…
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After getting Justin.tv profitable (which later became @Twitch), Michael Seibel went back to YC again 5 years later to spin out Socialcam, which he sold for $60M in less than a year. Hear the full story: leapforward.fm/episode/the-s…
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Michael Seibel thought his @ycombinator journey was over. Instead, he spun out Socialcam, went through YC a second time, sold the company for $60M less than a year later, and eventually became a YC partner. Hear the full story on the Leap Forward Podcast.
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In 2010, Justin.tv had two months of runway left. Months later, they were profitable and spun out @Twitch. Hear how Michael Seibel and his team pulled off the turnaround on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/the-s…
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Paul Graham told a 19-year-old Sam Altman to just apply to @YCombinator next year. Sam said no. Jessica Livingston said he walked in with the poise of a 30-year-old. Hear more about YC's early days on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/y-com…
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Taking a company public is a fever dream. Roadshow. Hundreds of investor meetings. Real-time order flow. And then, the night before, you pick your price. @OmadaHealth CEO Sean Duffy lived it. Hear the full story on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/from-…
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Michael Seibel left Baltimore, broke his lease, and moved into the apartment he'd helped his friend find in San Francisco. Hear how Justin.tv got started on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/the-s…
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Laura Modi pitched investors for @bobbiebabyco at 8 months pregnant. Some investors saw a tired soon-to-be mom. She saw a gap in a broken market. Hear how she built the fastest-growing formula company since the 1980s on the @leapforwardfm: leapforward.fm/episode/bobbi…
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Leap Forward Podcast retweeted
Such a fun convo w/ @mwseibel and @justinkan on the origin story behind live streaming: a 24/7 lifecasting show that they all agreed was a bad idea, but did it anyway. Those early days in a North Beach apartment turned into a $100B market. Listen at pod.link/1878437990/episode/…
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The product was broken. Downloads hit 10 million anyway. Listen to Immad Akhund, now CEO of $5.2 Billion @Mercury, on how he took his first startup from near failure to exit. Full episode on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/mercu…
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Before raising his $20M Series A, @Plugmotors CEO Jimmy Douglas spent months building relationships with 70+ Series A funds. When Plug was ready, investors like @lightspeedvp were interested. Hear the full story on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/plug-…
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Peter Reinhardt sold Segment to @Twilio for $3 billion and barely remembers it. Listen to the founder talk about the human side of getting acquired on the Leap Forward Podcast. Link here:
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In January 2018, @Tesla was the most shorted company in the world and Jimmy Douglas showed up on day one with $50M in R&D responsibility. Hear how Tesla helped inspire him to launch @plugmotors and raise a $20M Series A on the Leap Forward Podcast: leapforward.fm/episode/plug-…
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Most startups don't fail because of a bad idea. They fail because of the team. @Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk on where the cracks start to form. 🎙️ leapforward.fm/episode/airbn…
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V1: Paul Graham loved the @Airbnb team, but he hated the idea. What changed his mind? A box of limited-edition Obama cereal from the 2008 election. Nathan Blecharczyk tells the full story on the Leap Forward Podcast. 🎙️ leapforward.fm/episode/airbn…
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Leap Forward Podcast retweeted
.@tripadler's story is my favorite persistence story that most have never heard. He went from rocket ship growth, to hitting a wall and half the team quitting in 6 months. But he kept at it for years and eventually grew @Scribd to over $300M of revenue. pod.link/1878437990/episode/…
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Some of the best ideas in tech come from someone just saying "f*** it." @ycombinator co-founder Jessica Livingston on the moment YC was born on a walk with her partner, Paul Graham. 🎙️ leapforward.fm/episode/y-com…
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