Build Mode

Isaiah Granet, co-founder and CEO of Bland, a voice AI startup automating real-time phone conversations. He talks hiring weirdos: prioritizing passion, curiosity, and scrappiness over resumes. Rapid pivot into voice AI and hypergrowth from pre-seed to Series B. Sourcing hidden talent in odd places, when to hire ahead, and how hiring shapes culture as headcount scales.

Every founding team is a mix of personalities, communication styles, and strengths. That can be a superpower or cause founders to butt heads. Without a clear framework for navigating conflict, even the strongest teams can fall apart before they really get started. This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Ian Schmidt, strategic advisor at Trimergence, to unpack the “personal operating system” behind every founder. As a coach, consultant, and occasionally a bouncer, Ian helps teams build the self-awareness and relational tools they need to scale without unnecessary friction. They discuss: Why founders should invest in coaching before conflict escalates How to repair after conflict goes sideways The importance of understanding your own triggers as a leader How to create space for the self-work that actually saves time long-term Following last week’s episode on family co-founders, this conversation expands those lessons into practical tools any founding team can use. Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.   TechCrunch Disrupt: If you're thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we're back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.   Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.  Chapters: 00:00 Why Conflict Isn’t the Problem 02:18 The Founder Operating System 04:21 Why Co-Founders Clash 05:34 How to Map Your Personal OS 10:26 Start Early or Pay Later 16:59 Frameworks for Navigating Conflict 23:32 Relationships, Loneliness & Support Systems 31:15 Identity, Habits & Scaling Yourself New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Hala Jalwan, CEO of Rivio, builds AI tools for procurement with her spouse Alessio Tresanti, a product and sales leader. Anna Sun, CEO of Nowadays, launched an AI event-planning co-pilot with her sister Amy after MIT. They talk about building startups with family, dividing roles and boundaries, communicating under pressure, hiring to protect culture, and how trust speeds decisions.

David Park, co-founder and CEO of Narada, a Berkeley-spun enterprise AI agent founder who previously built and exited Coverity. He discusses using large action models to automate complex workflows. He talks about spending a year on nearly 1,000 customer calls, achieving 99.99% production reliability, why raising too early can derail teams, and how to build a lean, disciplined go-to-market approach.

This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time.  This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60 seconds. After rebuilding teams over and over again early in her career, Sarah set out to answer the question: why do “great on paper” candidates fail to flourish after their hired?  In this episode, she explains how Mapa analyzes thousands of voice biomarkers, from speech patterns to linguistic signals, to build behavioral profiles and match candidates based on compatibility, not just the on-paper credentials. They help their clients make the right hired the first time, saving crucial time and money.  She breaks down:  • Why most hiring decisions are still a gamble • Compatibility vs. similarity (and why it matters) • How voice biomarkers reveal behavioral traits • How to reduce bias without lowering the bar • How founders should think about building aligned teams  Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a fast-growing startup, this episode will change the way you think about talent, team dynamics, and what it really means to be a “fit.”   Chapters:  00:00 – Why great hires still fail 00:47 – Meet Sarah Lucena (Founder & CEO, Mappa) 01:39 – What Mappa does: voice → behavioral intelligence 04:22 – Why voice (not video) is the best signal 06:03 – The proprietary dataset & real-life outcomes 12:30 – Mapping companies, not just candidates 14:27 – Compatibility vs. similarity 16:10 – Bias, diversity & better hiring signals 23:53 – Expanding beyond hiring (VCs, finance, insurance) 30:16 – Using Mappa to evaluate investors 33:02 – Building Mappa’s own team 35:49 – Founder advice: patience, compatibility & lawyers 39:16 – Startup Battlefield experience 41:29 – Outro  New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams. 

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy.  We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked with hundreds of pre-seed and seed-stage startups, and he shares practical advice on how early-stage founders should think about startup equity, cap table design, investor selection, and compensation structures from day one.  He breaks down:  The 3 types of investors (and which one to avoid)  Why your cap table is part of your team  The 20–25% seed dilution rule  How to split equity with a co-founder  How to talk to early employees about risk and compensation  No matter where you are in your startup journey, this episode will help you get the incentive structure right from the beginning.   Chapters:  00:00 - Why your first hires deserve more equity 00:31 - Meet Yuri Sagalov (YC → General Catalyst) 02:12 - Your cap table is part of your team 02:50 - The 3 types of investors (avoid this one) 05:02 - How to split equity with a co-founder 07:55 - How much equity to give early employees 09:37 - How to talk compensation and risk 12:31 - Red flags in formation docs and vesting 18:27 - Advisors for equity? Usually a mistake 20:05 - The 20–25% seed dilution rule 26:03 - The shift to 10-year stock options 34:11 - Don’t scale before product-market fit 39:23 - Final advice: Just start and choose your co-founder carefully  New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams. 

It takes a village to build something great. In Season 2 of Build Mode, we go deep on how to assemble a founding team that signals ambition, execution, and long-term success. Founders and investors share candid lessons on hiring, structuring, and scaling teams that actually win. New episodes coming February 19.

In this insightful chat, Paul Irving, Partner and COO at GTM Fund, shares how AI is reshaping go-to-market strategies for startups. He emphasizes that distribution has become the new competitive moat as technical advantages fade quickly. Paul provides practical advice on recognizing product-market fit, matching founders with the right operators, and leveraging niche channels like Facebook groups for outreach. He warns against generic strategies and highlights the importance of personalized connections in building effective go-to-market teams.

Rebecca Bellan, Senior AI Reporter at TechCrunch, joins a lively discussion on the future of AI and tech investments. She highlights that world models are set to transform AI by being more aware of their environments than current models. The conversation dives into the challenges AI startups face with funding, pushing many towards alternative sources. Predictions for 2026 include potential IPOs for major firms and a backlash in Hollywood against AI-generated content. Prepare for a rollercoaster of insights and bold forecasts about the tech landscape!

Gabriel Sanchez, CEO of Enspectra Health and a Stanford innovator, discusses his journey developing a groundbreaking FDA-approved skin imaging device, emphasizing the challenges of regulatory navigation. Tom Harries, co-founder of Earth Funeral, shares insights on building a human composting service while tackling the cultural taboos of death and regulatory hurdles. Both founders offer tactical advice on securing funding in regulated spaces and adapting their strategies through lengthy approval processes, highlighting the importance of education and advocacy in their industries.