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Who is the host of From Startup to Exit?

From Startup to Exit is hosted by TiE Seattle. The show is categorised under business (entrepreneurship) and has published 42 episodes.

How many episodes does From Startup to Exit have?

From Startup to Exit has published 42 episodes.

What topics does From Startup to Exit cover?

From Startup to Exit regularly covers business, entrepreneurship. It sits in the business category, with a entrepreneurship focus.

Is it hard to get booked on From Startup to Exit?

From Startup to Exit is accessible for guests with genuine business expertise. A personalised, episode-aware pitch will still outperform a generic one every time.

Is From Startup to Exit currently accepting guest pitches?

From Startup to Exit hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.

How long are From Startup to Exit episodes?

Episodes of From Startup to Exit average 50 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.

What guest credentials does From Startup to Exit typically look for?

Our data rates From Startup to Exit's guest bar at 80/100 (Premium tier). Established thought leaders with verified media credentials. Sign in to PitchCentric to see how your own Pod Score compares against this show.

business

From Startup to Exit

Hosted by TiE Seattle · business · EN-US · 42 episodes

Audience: 3

Apple Podcasts Website

About this Podcast:

Welcome to the Startup to Exit podcast where we bring you world-class entrepreneurs and VCs to share their hard-earned success stories and secrets. This podcast has been brought to you by TiE Seattle. TiE is a global non-profit that focuses on fostering entrepreneurship. TiE Seattle offers a range of programs including the GoVertical Startup Creation Weekend, TiE Entrepreneur Institute, and the TiE Seattle Angel Network. We encourage you to become a TiE member so you can gain access to these great programs. To become a member, please visit www.Seattle.tie.org .

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What is From Startup to Exit?

From Startup to Exit is a business podcast hosted by TiE Seattle, with 42 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.

About the host

TiE Seattle hosts From Startup to Exit, a business show with 42 episodes published.

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Recent episodes

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Episode #42
Investors Said "No." Customers Said "Yes." How CoreStack Built an $85M AI Company
Aug 1, 202655 minS1
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of From Startup to Exit, we sit down with Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan, CEO and co-founder of CoreStack, to explore the company's remarkable journey from startup to global leader in multi-cloud and AI governance. Ez shares how his years building Microsoft Azure inspired him to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing enterprises: simplifying cloud adoption. He discusses how the team validated an idea that investors initially dismissed, built an enterprise platform from the ground up, secured early design partners, and scaled CoreStack into a company serving thousands of customers worldwide. The conversation then turns to the AI revolution, where Ez offers a compelling vision for the future of AI governance, enterprise adoption, and the transformative impact AI will have across every industry over the coming decade. In this episode, you'll hear about: - How Ez Natarajan founded CoreStack after recognizing the growing complexity of multi-cloud adoption and why the market initially failed to see the opportunity. - The startup journey—from self-funding and building the first product with design partners to securing product-market fit and raising venture capital. - The lessons learned in building an enterprise software company by listening to customers instead of following conventional investor wisdom. - How CoreStack evolved into a leading platform for cloud governance, helping enterprises reduce costs, improve operations, and strengthen security. - Why today's AI revolution is fundamentally different from previous technology waves and what it means for businesses over the next decade. - The emerging importance of AI governance—including managing AI costs, securing enterprise data, governing AI models, and controlling AI agents. - Leadership insights on building culture, attracting exceptional talent, integrating acquisitions, and scaling a mission-driven technology company. Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast
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Episode #41
He Cold-Called Microsoft, and They Bought His Company. Startup Spotlight with Sonu Aggarwal, TiE Seattle President
Jul 1, 202634 minS1
Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to build multiple successful startups—and recover from failure along the way? In this episode of Startup Spotlight, hosts Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar sit down with Sonu Aggarwal, serial entrepreneur, former Microsoft executive, founder of Flash Communications, Cordon, and UnifiedSquare, and current President of TiE Seattle. Sonu shares an honest and insightful account of his entrepreneurial journey—from building one of the world's first enterprise instant messaging platforms and selling it to Microsoft, to experiencing the hard lessons of startup failure, and ultimately building UnifiedSquare into a global leader acquired by Unisys. Along the way, he offers practical advice on fundraising, product-market timing, enterprise sales, founder transitions, and the importance of perseverance. The conversation also explores Sonu's vision for strengthening Seattle's startup ecosystem through TiE Seattle and why he believes the region is poised to become one of the world's premier entrepreneurial hubs. Whether you're a first-time founder, an experienced entrepreneur, investor, or simply fascinated by startup stories, this episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom from someone who has lived every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. In this episode, you'll hear: How an MIT brainstorming session led to the creation of one of the first enterprise instant messaging platforms. The remarkable cold call that resulted in Microsoft acquiring Flash Communications. Why Sonu's second startup failed—and the invaluable lessons it taught him about enterprise sales, revenue, and founding teams. How recognizing an unmet customer need inspired the creation of UnifiedSquare. The realities of leading a high-growth startup through years of ups and downs before achieving a successful exit. The difficult experience of stepping down as CEO—and why founders should view leadership transitions through the lens of what's best for the company. How UnifiedSquare's acquisition by Unisys unfolded through a structured M&A process. His vision for making Seattle one of the world's leading startup ecosystems through TiE Seattle. Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast
Listen Show Notes
Episode #40
What would Soma do? Enduring legacy of Tech icon, S. Somasegar, Managing Director, Madrona Ventures
Jun 16, 202642 minS1
Send us Fan Mail In this special tribute episode of From Startup to Exit , hosts Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar reflect on the life, legacy, and enduring impact of their dear friend, S. Somasegar—known to so many simply as “Soma.” A pioneering Microsoft executive, respected venture capitalist at Madrona, mentor, investor, and community builder, Soma touched countless lives across the technology and startup ecosystems. Joining the conversation are two people who knew him exceptionally well: Tim Porter , Managing Director at Madrona, and Vetri Vellore , serial entrepreneur and founder whose career was shaped by Soma’s guidance over decades. Through personal stories and heartfelt reflections, they paint a portrait of a leader whose greatest gift was not his accomplishments, but his humanity. Listeners will hear how Soma’s quiet wisdom, humility, and generosity influenced entrepreneurs, colleagues, founders, and investors alike. Whether mentoring a young engineer, advising a startup founder, or helping shape one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful venture firms, he approached every interaction with empathy, curiosity, and an unwavering desire to help others succeed. Tim Porter shares insights into Soma’s transition from Microsoft to Madrona, his remarkable ability to listen, lead, and bring people together, and the profound role he played in building companies and supporting founders. Vetri Vellore recounts a mentorship that began with a Microsoft interview and evolved into a decades-long friendship that influenced some of the most important decisions of his entrepreneurial journey. Above all, this episode is a celebration of a life lived in service to others. Soma’s legacy extends far beyond the companies he helped build or the investments he made. It lives on in the people he encouraged, the founders he believed in, the communities he strengthened, and the example he set through kindness, humility, and generosity. Though his passing leaves an immeasurable void, the stories shared in this episode remind us of a simple question that many who knew him now ask themselves: “ What would Soma do? ” It is a fitting tribute to a man whose influence will continue to be felt for generations to come. Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast
Listen Show Notes
Episode #39
Startup Spotlight: Kumar Senthil, Firmly CEO - A Commerce Infrastructure Layer in the Agentic AI Era
May 3, 202630 minS1
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build infrastructure for a world that didn't fully exist yet? In this episode, Kumar Senthil, CEO and Co-Founder of Firmly, shares how he spent five years quietly building the plumbing that lets AI agents discover products and complete purchases on behalf of consumers, all while keeping the merchant in control of their data and customer relationship. Kumar recounts the long, often painful journey of solving a two-sided marketplace cold start problem, being laughed out of VC meetings, operating under NDA for years, and finally breaking through with the just-signed lead for their Series A. In This Episode, You'll Learn: - Why Kumar left Samsung to solve what he saw as an inevitable and global merchant integration problem - How Firmly built a universal API abstraction layer that connects to 11 million merchants with zero code changes required from the merchant - Why keeping the merchant as the merchant of record and preserving first-party data is the core differentiator over Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop - How AI agents infer and auto-generate native API connections to merchants who don't publish public APIs - The brutal two-sided marketplace chicken-and-egg problem and how a breakthrough with a major social platform (under NDA) was the first sign of product-market fit - Why agentic commerce creates a flywheel for merchants, payment gateways, and AI platforms alike - Kumar's raw, honest advice for entrepreneurs, including why you should expect the journey to be harder than you imagined, and why resilience, family support, and financial runway matter as much as the idea Kumar Senthil is the CEO and Co-Founder of Firmly, where he is building agentic commerce infrastructure that enables autonomous AI agents to discover, transact, and complete purchases seamlessly. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Samsung.com, Groupon, Microsoft, and others, where he launched many products and built successful businesses. Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast
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Episode #38
Praveen Seshadri: Building AppSheet - Five Pivots to a Google Acquisition and the AI revolution
Apr 13, 202649 minS1
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Praveen Seshadri, former Microsoft executive and co-founder and CEO of Thunk.AI. He previously co-founded AppSheet, which was acquired by Google. Praveen shares his journey from leaving Microsoft at age 40 to navigating five pivots over two years before discovering product-market fit with AppSheet. He discusses how the company pioneered no-code and product-led growth, the importance of customer-led development, and the lessons learned from building and scaling a startup. The conversation also explores his latest venture, Thunk.ai, where he is focused on using generative AI to automate business workflows. He shares insights on the current state of AI, the challenges of reliability, and why AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape how work gets done. In this episode, Praveen talks about: - His transition from Microsoft to entrepreneurship - The journey from multiple failed ideas to building AppSheet - The rise of no-code and product-led growth - Key lessons on fundraising, team building, and customer focus - The opportunities and limitations of AI in business today Whether you’re an entrepreneur, technologist, or builder, this episode offers a candid look at what it really takes to build, pivot, and succeed in a rapidly changing technology landscape. To ensure you don't miss other episodes like this, subscribe to our podcast! Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast
Listen Show Notes

Guest Appearances

Recent guests on From Startup to Exit. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Steve Wood

expositor of Faith & Family Bible Study, LIMRA

Robbie Bach

former President of Xbox, Microsoft

Vikram Chalana

CEO, Pictory AI

Raj Kapoor

Lyft

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Episode #40

What would Soma do? Enduring legacy of Tech icon, S. Somasegar, Managing Director, Madrona Ventures

Jun 16, 202642 minS1

Send us Fan Mail In this special tribute episode of From Startup to Exit , hosts Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar reflect on the life, legacy, and enduring impact of their dear friend, S. Somasegar—known to so many simply as “Soma.” A pioneering Microsoft executive, respected venture capitalist at Madrona, mentor, investor, and community builder, Soma touched countless lives across the technology and startup ecosystems. Joining the conversation are two people who knew him exceptionally well: Tim Porter , Managing Director at Madrona, and Vetri Vellore , serial entrepreneur and founder whose career was shaped by Soma’s guidance over decades. Through personal stories and heartfelt reflections, they paint a portrait of a leader whose greatest gift was not his accomplishments, but his humanity. Listeners will hear how Soma’s quiet wisdom, humility, and generosity influenced entrepreneurs, colleagues, founders, and investors alike. Whether mentoring a young engineer, advising a startup founder, or helping shape one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful venture firms, he approached every interaction with empathy, curiosity, and an unwavering desire to help others succeed. Tim Porter shares insights into Soma’s transition from Microsoft to Madrona, his remarkable ability to listen, lead, and bring people together, and the profound role he played in building companies and supporting founders. Vetri Vellore recounts a mentorship that began with a Microsoft interview and evolved into a decades-long friendship that influenced some of the most important decisions of his entrepreneurial journey. Above all, this episode is a celebration of a life lived in service to others. Soma’s legacy extends far beyond the companies he helped build or the investments he made. It lives on in the people he encouraged, the founders he believed in, the communities he strengthened, and the example he set through kindness, humility, and generosity. Though his passing leaves an immeasurable void, the stories shared in this episode remind us of a simple question that many who knew him now ask themselves: “ What would Soma do? ” It is a fitting tribute to a man whose influence will continue to be felt for generations to come. Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fromstartuptoexitpodcast

Listen Show Notes

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

If you have a concern about deliverability, AI quality, data privacy, or whether this will actually work for your specific situation, it's probably answered below.

What is the difference between Founder Solo and Founder Pro?

How do agency tiers work?

What is a talent profile?

Can I switch plans later?

Yes, at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades apply at the end of the current billing period. Contact support if you need help migrating between plan families.

Do you offer a free trial?

Every paid plan includes a 15-day free trial. Your card is saved at signup but you will not be charged until day 16. Cancel any time from your dashboard.

What happens if I cancel?

You keep access until the end of your current billing period. No charges after that. Your data is retained for 30 days in case you reactivate.

Is the 20% annual discount automatic?

Yes. Select Annual on the pricing toggle and the discounted price is applied automatically at checkout. The annual price shown is the full year cost.

What if I have more than 50 profiles or 20 clients?

That is our Enterprise tier. Contact our sales team and we will build a custom plan with volume pricing, a dedicated account manager, and SLA guarantees.

From Startup to Exit

About this Podcast:

Pitch Analysis

What is From Startup to Exit?

About the host

Recent episodes

Investors Said "No." Customers Said "Yes." How CoreStack Built an $85M AI Company

He Cold-Called Microsoft, and They Bought His Company. Startup Spotlight with Sonu Aggarwal, TiE Seattle President

What would Soma do? Enduring legacy of Tech icon, S. Somasegar, Managing Director, Madrona Ventures

Startup Spotlight: Kumar Senthil, Firmly CEO - A Commerce Infrastructure Layer in the Agentic AI Era

Praveen Seshadri: Building AppSheet - Five Pivots to a Google Acquisition and the AI revolution

Guest Appearances

Steve Wood

Robbie Bach

Vikram Chalana

Raj Kapoor

Advertisers on this show

Best industries to pitch From Startup to Exit for

Podcasts like From Startup to Exit

Every question we get asked beforesomeone starts their trial.

From Startup to Exit

About this Podcast:

Pitch Analysis

What is From Startup to Exit?

About the host

Recent episodes

Investors Said "No." Customers Said "Yes." How CoreStack Built an $85M AI Company

He Cold-Called Microsoft, and They Bought His Company. Startup Spotlight with Sonu Aggarwal, TiE Seattle President

What would Soma do? Enduring legacy of Tech icon, S. Somasegar, Managing Director, Madrona Ventures

Startup Spotlight: Kumar Senthil, Firmly CEO - A Commerce Infrastructure Layer in the Agentic AI Era

Praveen Seshadri: Building AppSheet - Five Pivots to a Google Acquisition and the AI revolution

Guest Appearances

Steve Wood

Robbie Bach

Vikram Chalana

Raj Kapoor

Advertisers on this show

Best industries to pitch From Startup to Exit for

Podcasts like From Startup to Exit

Every question we get asked beforesomeone starts their trial.

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.