Build Mode

Former CEOs of EarlyDay, Emma Harris and Melissa Tran, along with Chris Bennett from Wonderschool, discuss the acquisition deal and the challenges in the childcare sector post-COVID. They address staffing shortages, government partnerships, financial challenges, and the need for more entrepreneurs in childcare.

Clinical trials are ongoing for the first long-lasting, reversible male birth control which is the first innovation in male birth control since the vasectomy hit the scene in 1897. This week’s Found guest is Kevin Eisenfrats, the co-founder and CEO of Contraline, a biotech company developing innovative methods to use hydrogel as a contraceptive. Contraline’s first product, ADAM, is what some are calling the first male IUD. The company will begin clinical trials in the U.S. very soon.In this conversation they cover: The process of fundraising when you’re creating a completely new category Why the overturning of Roe V. Wade has led to increased interest in ADAM by men in the US The future of Contraline and other innovations that use hydrogels (0:00) Introduction(2:26) The challenges to male birth control(6:53) Why hydrogel works(9:35) Developing ADAM(15:08) Cultural reaction to ADAM(20:18) Entrepreneurship in medicine(22:39) FDA approval process(28:09) What’s next for Contraline(34:23) Host conversation Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Most OBGYNs are not specifically trained in menopause, which means that women are left to suffer through their symptoms on their own. This week’s guest on Found is looking to change that. Joanna Strober is the CEO and founder of Midi, a virtual healthcare platform built specifically for women in midlife staffed with healthcare providers specifically trained to care for people going through perimenopause and menopause.In this conversation they cover: Why there is such a wide gap in care for women’s health and the negligent studies that are partly to blame Working with employers and insurance companies to make sure that their services are covered under insurance How the Midi team has raised $100 million despite many investors not understanding the potential market for care for women in midlife (0:00) Introduction(1:27) Midi and Joanna’s background(4:38) The care gap(7:12) Building out research-based care protocols(10:00) Demand for menopause care(13:28) Joanna’s previous founder experience(17:04) Learnings from starting in VC(19:33) Building out the Midi team(22:56) Working with employers and insurance companies(24:50) Launching in 50 states(28:59) Fundraising experience Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Joselyn Lai, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Energy, brings innovative geothermal heating and cooling solutions to urban buildings. Joined by Tim De Chant, a TechCrunch Climate reporter, they dive into the efficiencies of closed vs. open loop systems. Joselyn shares how they built a client base among urban builders and the ease of fundraising with proven technology. They also explore creating clean energy jobs for workers transitioning from oil and gas, emphasizing the importance of decarbonizing the built environment.

In order to get drivers to convert from gas-powered cars to electric, there needs to be reliable charging infrastructure. Today on Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Louis Tremblay, the CEO and founder of FLO, a company that manufactures electric vehicle charging stations and has been creating charging infrastructure in the US and Canada for the last 15 years. Tremblay also talked about how he intentionally built this company to be a rewarding and fun place to work and what advice he has for new founders trying to do the same. In this conversation they cover: The components that go into creating superchargers for public use and why these isn’t just one kind of EV plug The process of working with cities to design charging stations that reflect the character of the city The importance of developing the hardware alongside the software to create the best customer experience possible Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

If you’re not in construction or in the middle of a renovation, you might not think much about wood waste but in 2018 alone landfills in the US received 12.2 million tons of wood. Most of this is useful material that could be reused, but the lack of infrastructure means the wasted wood can't always reach the developers, woodworkers, and creators who need it. This week on Found, we're talking to a founder who has a SaaS solution for this broken supply chain. Ben Christensen is the founder and CEO of Cambium, a company that is reimagining the wood supply chain and reallocating previously wasted wood to be used in new building projects. In this conversation they cover: Learning to navigate the logistics of sourcing, selling, and shipping wood to customers Building a team culture based on the individual and avoiding a one size fits all approach Onboarding customers who may be adverse to technological solutions How AI can help create a more efficient lumber supply chain (0:00) Introduction(1:42) What Cambium is all about(5:01) Climate change and wood recycling(11:36) Developing the software(15:54) Sourcing sustainable wood(18:41) Going from grad school to founder(20:01) Fundraising journey(23:59) AI and supply chains(25:49) Building the team(30:15) Learning from logistics mistakes(32:30) Staying grounded while building climate solutions(36:40) Host conversation Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Between the rising cost of groceries and the all too common food desert, access to healthy and affordable food in America is getting harder to find. Today’s guest, Nick Green is the co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, a membership-based online grocery store that focuses on natural and organic food and household products. Thrive Market isn’t just focused on offering healthy options, they want to ensure everyone has access to them so they’ve become the first online grocer to accept SNAP and EBT benefits. In this episode, Green discusses how it’s possible to build a business that is a shareholder-driven business and a business that cares about the stakeholders.They also talked about: The logistics of running a grocery company sustainably from the beginning Their unusual path to funding How they organized the leadership team with four co-founders Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Allison Wolff, CEO of Vibrant Planet, discusses how wildfires play a positive role in land management. She emphasizes the need for adaptive planning to combat the intensifying wildfires and the importance of AI in monitoring and planning. They also touch on working with indigenous groups, the benefits of nature-based climate solutions, and the significance of incorporating traditional land management practices.

Of all the work tasks you could automate with AI, submitting expenses would probably be high on the list. Today on Found, we’re talking to Eric Glyman, the CEO and cofounder of Ramp, a spend management platform that is building AI tools to make financial workflows easier for employees and employers. In this episode they talk about what Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and how they see AI changing fintech forever.They also talked about: What Glyman and his co-founder learned from their first startup and from their time working at Capital One The white space that still exists in fintech How Ramp is implementing security measures while ramping up their use of AI (0:00) intro(2:20) SImplifying financial processes(8:41) Automation expense management(13:46) AI could take over tedious work tasks(19:10) Security and privacy with financial data and AI(23:45) Taking a lower valuation(31:54) What's next for Ramp and fintech Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Recycling is one facet to solving the climate crisis, but most of us are doing it wrong. Today on Found, Becca and Dom are talking with Rebeca Hu, the CEO and cofounder of Glacier, an AI robotics company that is building robots to accurately sort recycling. They talk about how many of us are wish-cylers who hopefully throw non-recyclables into the bin and how Glacier’s robots are sorting the recycling and making sure all of our recycling mistakes are corrected.They also talked about: What it takes to train an AI-powered sorting robot What the reception has been like in recycling facilities How the robots are tracking the kind of waste we’re creating as they sort How Rebecca told this story to fundraisers who have very likely never stepped foot in a recycling center.  Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us: On Twitter On Instagram Via email: found@techcrunch.com