Nicholas Rudder
Co-founder and CEO of Sphere, an AI-powered cross-border tax and revenue compliance platform; raised a $21M Series A from Andreessen Horowitz and is building integrations to help companies sell internationally.
Best podcasts with Nicholas Rudder
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Jan 27, 2026 • 1h 4min
#241 Startup collapse to $21M a16z raise: Sphere's Nick Rudder on Aussie Grit in the US, Selling to CFOs and Superhero wife
Nicholas Rudder, founder and CEO of Sphere, who led a pivot and a US$21M Series A, shares gritty startup survival and leadership stories. He discusses selling to CFOs, building zero-churn retention, using AI as a junior analyst for global tax rules, hiring resilient engineers, and forging advisor partnerships to scale cross-border compliance.
Nov 18, 2025 • 53min
Sphere's $21M Series A: Nicholas Rudder on Building Cross-Border Compliance
Nicholas Rudder, co-founder and CEO of Sphere, discusses his journey from a failed EdTech startup to raising $21M in Series A funding for his AI-driven cross-border compliance platform. He shares insights on validating demand using a Figma prototype, navigating the complexities of international tax, and the emotional challenges of losing a co-founder. Nicholas also emphasizes the significance of hiring an internal recruiter post-funding and compares the startup ecosystems of San Francisco, the UK, and Australia.
