Founded On Purpose

Welcome to Founded On Purpose, the podcast where business meets impact. Hosted by Kt McBratney of Renew VC, each episode features founders, investors, and ecosystem builders answering the same set of questions. While the questions stay the same, the insights and conversations are always unique and thought-provoking. Join us to explore how these innovators are aligning profit with purpose.

Founded On Purpose is a business podcast hosted by Renew Venture Capital, with 28 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Renew Venture Capital hosts Founded On Purpose, a business show with 28 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #27

  Building What Users Say & Do: How Yana Welinder Built a Product Teams Loved — And Sold It to Amplitude

  Feb 10, 202641 minS0

  <p>Yana Welinder, founder and CEO of Kraftful, shares her dynamic journey from law professor at Stanford to a product leader whose company was acquired by Amplitude. In this episode, Yana discusses Kraftful's evolution, the importance of pivoting, and the steps involved in a successful acquisition. She underscores the significance of leveraging user feedback, optimizing fundraising speed as a solo founder, and maintaining product focus amid growth. With actionable insights for founders, Yana sheds light on the strategic considerations and personal resilience required to navigate the startup landscape.</p><p>00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome</p><p>00:37 Yana Weller's Journey to...

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  Episode #26

  Raised in Purpose, Built in Community: Khadijah Robinson's Journey

  Dec 8, 202551 minS0

  <p>Khadijah Robinson’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin in a startup accelerator — it began in her childhood home, where her parents were intentional about shaping how she saw beauty, possibility, and Black excellence. That foundation led her to build the Nile List as a “therapeutic exercise” during  her full-time legal career, eventually growing it into a platform supporting thousands of Black-owned businesses around the world.</p><p>In this episode, she traces the purposeful thread from her mom’s early entrepreneurial success, to launching the Nile List during a pandemic from Nigeria, to navigating an unexpected acquisition. Today, that same thread s...

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  Episode #25

  From Herstory to Lex to What’s Next: Kel Rakowski’s Journey of Love & Reinvention

  Nov 24, 202538 minS0

  <p>What does it look like to build a social app from an Instagram project into a VC-backed global community — and then let it go?<br><br></p><p>In this episode of Founded On Purpose, Kt McBratney talks with Kel Rakowski, artist, strategist, writer, and founder of Lex, the beloved queer social app acquired by 9Count in 2024. Kel opens up about the origins of Lex in vintage lesbian personal ads, the early explosive growth, and the challenges of scaling a community-centered product inside a venture-backed structure.</p><p>Kel also shares the deeply personal side of stepping back as CE...

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  Episode #24

  Viral Moments, Quiet Decisions: How Amelia Lin Navigated Honeycomb’s Path to Exit

  Nov 17, 202559 minS0

  <p>What really happens after your startup gets acquired?<br> In the first episode of season 2's After the Exit series, Kt talks with Amelia Lin, cofounder and former CEO of Honeycomb, the AI-powered family photo platform acquired in 2024, and cofounder of VC Backed Moms, the global community for venture-backed founders navigating motherhood.</p><p>Amelia shares the real story behind Honeycomb’s journey — from building safe AI image generation for kids before it was mainstream, to going viral on TikTok, to scaling through millions of family photos across the world. She opens up about the parts of M&A foun...

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  Episode #23

  From Software to Superfoods: How Kesha Stickland is Changing What We Eat

  Mar 11, 202545 minS0

  <p>Kesha Stickland's mission is clear: to make healthy food accessible and delicious. After a life-changing health crisis, she turned to mushrooms as a powerful tool for healing—and now she's revolutionizing the meat alternative industry. Discover how her journey from software engineer to food innovator is transforming consumer behavior and building healthier communities. </p><p>Episode Summary:<br>Kesha Stickland, CEO and co-founder of The Mushroom Meat Co., shares her journey from software engineering and consulting to food innovation. Following a severe health crisis and personal journey to recovery, Kesha discovered the healing power of mushrooms. Her commitment to he...

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