Startup Dad

Jeremy Howard, a thought leader in AI and co-founder of Fast.ai, shares insights on parenting in a technology-driven world. He discusses the balance between traditional education and innovative homeschooling, emphasizing social interactions even in remote learning. Jeremy also reflects on his journey as a father, exploring how his background in science influenced his parenting philosophy. The importance of discussing AI and screen time with kids is highlighted, showcasing a modern approach to child-rearing that adapts to ongoing technological changes.

Mike Yan, co-founder and CEO of ManyChat, shares his transformation from aspiring magician to tech entrepreneur. He discusses the challenges of starting a family while leading a growing company and how he navigated paternity leave. Yan explains the paradox of being an 'Unhappy Achiever,' balancing success with personal fulfillment. He shares heartfelt stories about sleep training and adapting to new childcare realities, along with insights into the evolving role of technology in parenting. The conversation is both insightful and relatable for founders and parents alike.

Eric Colbert, Jay Chandrasekhar and Eli Szasz are the co-founders of VouchVault, a new platform that helps you get trusted recommendations for products and services you need. Eric and Eli have worked together for years at creative agency, Spark6. Jay is a comedian, writer and actor best known for his movies Super Troopers and Beerfest. Collectively they’re the dads of 9 different kids along with being loving and supportive husbands (or so they told me). We discussed:* How they all met and decided to start VouchVault* How their new company helps busy parents* Getting into trouble as young kids* Raising teenagers and Eric’s “three pillars” of success* How their relationships have changed as their kids have gotten older* Advice they’d give the younger versions of themselves* A raging debate on minivansWhere to find Eric Colbert, Jay Chandrasekhar and Eli SzaszEric * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-colbert-9900a65/Jay * X: https://x.com/jaychandrasekha * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaychandrasekhar/Eli * https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahszasz/Website: www.vouchvault.comWhere to find Adam Fishman* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/* Instagram: https://ww.instagram.com/startupdadpod/_In this episode, we cover:[2:09] Welcome[2:49] How did you meet & decide to partner[4:14] Mission of VouchVault[9:26] Worst experience of a review[13:08] What were you like as kids?[16:59] Ages of children[22:19] Teenage years/ pillars[29:17] How has your relationship with your kids changed as they got older?[33:25] Jay’s movies[37:44] Earliest memory of becoming a dad[40:49] Doing things differently the second time around[42:35] Kid’s relationship to tech[49:37] Partnership[55:12] Follow along[56:27] Lightning round[1:10:28] Thank you—Show references:VouchVault: https://www.vouchvault.com/Spark6: https://www.spark6.com/Broken Lizard: https://brokenlizard.com/Super Troopers 1: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247745/Super Troopers 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0859635/Beer Fest: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486551/Community: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439629/Arrested Development: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/New Girl: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1826940/Shantaram: A Novel by Gregory David Roberts: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shantaram-gregory-david-roberts/1100338449Blackbirds: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3818366/Walk the Line: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/MacGruber: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470023/Citizen Kane: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/Generation Kill: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995832/Fast Times at Ridgemont High: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/University of Utah: https://www.utah.edu/Colgate: https://www.colgate.edu/University of Michigan: https://umich.edu/St. Andrews: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/Tim Urban: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-urban-56927430/American Pie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163651/Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379Wefunder: https://wefunder.com/Magnetiles: https://www.magnatiles.com/products/CocoMelon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12427840/Baby Einstein: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9808494/Dora The Explorer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235917/Spongebob Squarepants: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206512/Toy Story: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/Moana: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521164/ACDC Highway to Hell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_to_Hell_(song)Star Wars: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/Back To The Future: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/First Blood: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083944/Terminator 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/_For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.comProduction support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com

Tyler Moore aka TidyDad is a school teacher turned internet sensation and best-selling author. Pushed to the brink of a breakdown after the birth of his second daughter, Tyler went on to tidy up his mind, his life and his household. In the process he built a massive following as Tidy Dad and recently published a USA Today best-selling book called Tidy Up Your Life. He has been featured on Good Morning America, The Washington Post, NYTimes, NYPost, Better Homes & Gardens, Apartment Therapy and the HGTV Podcast (among many others). In addition to his role as Tidy Dad he still teaches elementary school in New York City and lives in a 5 room, 750 square foot apartment with his wife and three daughters. We discussed:* Tyler’s journey from mental breakdown to best-selling author* How to tidy up your mind then your space* The one-area-a-weekday cleaning method* Involving your kids in the tidying process* What “Just Enough” means* The first step in de-cluttering* The concept of Surthrival* Many of the tidying frameworks discussed in his new bookWhere to find Tyler Moore* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidydad/* Website: https://thetidydad.com/Where to find Adam Fishman* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/* Instagram: https://ww.instagram.com/startupdadpod/_In this episode, we cover:[2:19] Welcome[2:52] Inspiration for Tidy Dad[5:43] Intro to book story[8:54] Family[10:55] Decision to start a family[14:07] Tidy Dad order of operations[16:30] General advice from “Tidy Up Your Life.”[18:26] Working through “just enough.”[22:55] What comes after, “just enough.”[24:44] One area a day cleaning routine[29:26] First step to decluttering[32:27] How do you involve kids in tidying[38:10] Most challenging aspect to being tidy as a dad[40:48] Advice to younger Tyler[42:50] Advice to ignore[46:18] Kid’s relationship to tech[50:16] Surthrival[52:30] Most rewarding feedback[54:41] Future of Tidy Dad[58:17] Follow along[59:23] Lightning Round[1:05:57] Thank you—Show references:Tidy Dad: https://thetidydad.com/Tidy Up Your Life: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tidy-up-your-life-tyler-moore/1145899800Folex Cleaner: https://folexcompany.com/Despicable Me: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/Sister Act: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105417/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1Lindt: https://www.lindtusa.com/_For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.comProduction support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com

Pouyan Salehi is the co-founder and CEO of Scratchpad—a company trying to take the busy work out of sales. He has founded three other companies, including PersistIQ (acquired by Wishpond) and Stackmob (acquired by PayPal). In addition to being a serial founder and entrepreneur he is also a husband and a Dad to three kids. We discussed:* Coming to America from Iran and restarting his life with his parents* Why there’s no perfect time to start a family* How each kid is different and requires different parenting strategies* Advice he’d give his younger self about how to relax* Appreciating the new way your life comes together after kids* Moving across the country to be closer to familyWhere to find Pouyan Salehi* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pouyansalehi/* Twitter: https://x.com/psalehiWhere to find Adam Fishman* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/_In this episode, we cover:[1:49] Welcome[2:13] Pouyan’s professional background[3:51] Scratchpad[4:47] His childhood[9:34] How did you meet your wife/tell about your kids[10:44] Desire to start a family vs. focusing on careers[13:09] Earliest memory of becoming a dad[15:13] Emotions that arose when becoming a dad[16:20] Parenting three kids[17:38] Parenting a teenager[19:08] Advice for younger Pouyan[21:06] Advice to ignore[22:24] Move to Minnesota[24:25] Parenting Frameworks [26:26] How has parenting evolved kid-to-kid[27:50] Has being a parent helped him lead teams & vice versa[29:40] Aligning with partner[32:14] Kid’s relationship with tech[33:52] AI & kids[36:19] What’d he give up to be a dad?[37:18] How does he recharge his batteries[38:18] Mistake made as a dad?[39:54] Where to find Pouyan[41:07] Lightning round[48:43] Thank you—Show references:Scratchpad: https://www.scratchpad.com/Wishpond: https://www.wishpond.com/Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/us/homeDominos: https://www.dominos.com/en/Tod Francis episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwFYEpFSi3AApple: https://www.apple.com/Ferris Bueller's Day Off: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/_For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.comProduction support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com

Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, passionately advocates for better paternity leave in the UK. He shares alarming insights on the current state of paternity policies and the hurdles in achieving legislative change. Discussing the evolving role of fathers, Alex highlights personal transformations influenced by his own dad and the birth of his son. He emphasizes redefining masculinity, balancing professional and family life, and the mental health benefits of engaged fatherhood—championing a movement towards shared parenting responsibilities.

Paul Sullivan, founder of Company of Dads and a best-selling author, dives into the evolving role of 'Lead Dads' as primary caregivers. He discusses the importance of community support and open communication within families. Sullivan reveals innovative solutions for balancing work and home life, shedding light on how fathers can champion equitable household participation. His personal anecdotes highlight the humorous realities of parenting while addressing the need for modern policies that support all parents in the workplace.

Cory O'Daniel, co-founder and CEO of Massdriver, shares his journey of balancing entrepreneurship and fatherhood. He humorously compares enterprise sales to parenting challenges, highlighting the need for patience. Cory discusses how his family has shifted towards anti-tech practices to boost creativity and presence at home. He emphasizes the importance of individual time with family and the imaginative play that nurtures kids' brains. Through engaging anecdotes, he reflects on the chaos and joy of parenting while building a startup.

Ben Lauzier, co-founder and CEO of Nurra, shares his journey from product leadership at Lyft to launching an AI health assistant inspired by his wife’s health challenges. He discusses the highs and lows of fatherhood, cultural parenting differences between France and the U.S., and the unique experience of starting a business while raising a toddler. Ben offers valuable advice for balancing self-care with parenting and reflects on the lasting impact of technology on his daughter’s future.

Matt Martin, co-founder and CEO of Clockwise, shares his experiences navigating fatherhood as a dad of three, including twins. He discusses the need for clear communication with both family and colleagues, emphasizing empathy and self-compassion. Matt reveals how parenting reshapes work priorities and highlights the importance of creating a supportive environment at home. He candidly explores personal expectations and the challenges of balancing work-life demands while being present for his children.