Episodes 226
Avg. Duration 44m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.4 (25)
Since Mar 2021
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
51%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies — and sanity—  intact. Each season, Isabelle is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into specific aspects of the startup journey, from creative go to market strategies to founder mental health. The interviews are full of candid startup wisdom—think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. So, if you’re starting a company or or even just thinking about it, this is your survival guide.

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Recent Episodes

Best of Build Mode: Scaling Company Culture

Jun 11, 2026 18m Bonus

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about company culture. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most…

S2E10 Best of Build Mode: The Founder Mistakes That Cost Time, Money, and Growth

Jun 04, 2026 27m Bonus

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about startup mistakes, hard-earned lessons, and the decisions founders wish they’d made…

Best of Build Mode: Cofounders, Conflict and Compatibility

May 28, 2026 20m Bonus

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about effective partnerships, from cofounder relationships and team trust to investor dynamics and…

The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas

May 14, 2026 45m Bonus

This week we're sharing our very first episode with Deon Nicholas, the co-founder and CEO of Forethought AI. In this episode, Nicholas shares how he built a company that puts customers (not hype)…

S2E11 Maintaining Momentum and Morale During the Long Road to FDA Approval with Robhy Bustami, BioticsAI

Apr 30, 2026 31m

Surviving the long road to FDA approval isn’t just about building great technology, it’s about keeping your team motivated, finding the right investors, and learning how to operate when timelines are…

S2E10 Don't stop hiring humans. Stop hiring the wrong humans with Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Artisan

Apr 23, 2026 36m

Surviving the early days as an AI startup isn’t just about making the technology work, it’s about hiring the right people, avoiding costly mistakes, and standing out in a crowded market. This week on…

S2E9 How geCKo Materials Turned a Lab Breakthrough into a Scalable Deep Tech Startup

Apr 16, 2026 31m

Deep tech founders face a unique challenge: turning breakthrough science into a scalable startup. From navigating academia and IP to fundraising, manufacturing, and product-market fit, the path from…

S2E8 How to handle layoffs with compassion with Ayal Yogev, Anjuna

Apr 09, 2026 45m

This week’s guest is Ayal Yogev, co-founder and CEO of Anjuna Security, who has experienced both sides of the startup journey: scaling quickly during the boom years and then making the incredibly…

Diverse teams start with diverse VCs with Leah Solivan, Taskrabbit

Apr 02, 2026 46m

If one thing has become clear this season, finding the right talent for your team isn’t as easy as picking from a pile of resumes This week’s guest is  Leah Solivan, the founder of Taskrabbit and now…

S2E6 Why hiring the weirdos works with Isaiah Granet, Bland

Mar 26, 2026 50m

If one thing has become clear this season, it’s that there is no formula to building the perfect team. But no one breaks the mold quite like this week’s guest, Isaiah Granet, the co-founder and CEO…

How to fight with your co-founder with Ian Schmidt, Trimergence

Mar 19, 2026 48m

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…

S1E4 When startups become a family business

Mar 12, 2026 41m

In startups, choosing a co-founder is often compared to choosing a spouse. But what happens when your co-founder actually is family? In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannessen explores…

S2E2 Building a lean team before raising big with David Park, Narada

Mar 05, 2026 38m

This week on Build Mode, we’re joined by David Park, co-founder and CEO of Narada, an enterprise AI agent platform spun out of UC Berkeley AI Lab research. Narada uses large action models to automate…

S2E2 Behavioral AI and the compatibility advantage with Sarah Lucena, Mappa

Feb 26, 2026 44m

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,…

S2E1 Compensation, culture, and cap tables with Yuri Sagalov, General Catalyst

Feb 19, 2026 44m

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…

Build Mode is back: Building world-class founding teams

Feb 12, 2026 1m Trailer

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…

It’s time to throw away the old go-to-market playbook with Paul Irving from GTMfund

Jan 08, 2026 37m

n the season finale of Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Paul Irving, Partner and COO of GTMfund, to discuss go-to-market strategies for the AI era. Paul shares specific, actionable…

2026 predictions from LP-lead investments to IPO mania: Equity crossover

Jan 01, 2026 35m

We're bringing you a special TechCrunch podcast crossover episode. Isabelle joins Equity Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan to dissect the year's biggest tech developments, from…

Making life (and death) better despite regulatory barriers

Dec 18, 2025 50m

Founders Gabriel Sanchez (Enspectra Health) and Tom Harries (Earth Funeral) share what it takes to build in heavily regulated industries where "move fast and break things" simply won't work. In this…

Capital is a commodity (but your investor relationships aren’t)

Dec 11, 2025 45m

Venture capitalists Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) and Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker Ventures) pull back the curtain on how VCs build their own go-to-market strategies — not just how they evaluate…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Build Mode have?

Build Mode has published 226 episodes since March 2021, covering topics in Business, Entrepreneurship.

Is Build Mode still active?

Build Mode is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 44m.

How do I contact Build Mode for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Build Mode, including email and social media links.

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