Science & Technology

Best of Build Mode: Founder Fails and Fixes

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 differently. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most insightful conversations from past seasons to explore the missteps that shaped successful companies.…

Published

2 months ago

June 4, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

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 differently.
Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most insightful conversations from past seasons to explore the missteps that shaped successful companies.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:
Deon Nicholas, cofounder & former CEO of Forethought AI and co-founder of Espa Labs
Jasper Carmichael-Jack, cofounder & CEO of Artisan
Yuri Sagalov, partner at General Catalyst
Isaiah Granet, cofounder & CEO of Bland
Ayal Yogev, founder & CEO of Anjuna
Sarah Lucena, founder & CEO of Mappa
Whether you’re building your first startup, hiring your early team, fundraising, or figuring out how to scale sustainably, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest reflections from founders and investors who learned these lessons the hard way.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:20 Deon Nicholas (Forethought, Espa Labs): Product-market fit, iteration, and why your first product probably won’t work
05:45 Jasper Carmichael-Jack (Artisan): Hiring mistakes, logo shopping, and finding the right people
09:30 Yuri Sagalov (General Catalyst): Founder commitment, investor signals, and avoiding non-standard company structures
12:35 Isaiah Granet (Bland): Equity grants, payroll headaches, and taking care of early employees
17:25 Ayal Yogev (Anjuna): Overhiring, market shifts, and lessons from the 2022 downturn
22:55 Sarah Lucena (Mappa): Why every founder needs a great lawyer

Subscribe to Build Mode on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or ⁠wherever you like to listen⁠. And watch the full videos on ⁠YouTube⁠. 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.
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.

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Unboxing the $120 Clicks Power Keyboard

Let your thumbs fly! 👍🏽 The Clicks Power Keyboard works on iPhone and Android phones with Qi wireless charging, like the iPhone Air or iPhone Pro Max as well as the Pixel 10 Pro. Not only is it a nifty Bluetooth keyboard, it can also charge your phone with its 2300mAh battery. Let’s unbox it…

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Let your thumbs fly! 👍🏽

The Clicks Power Keyboard works on iPhone and Android phones with Qi wireless charging, like the iPhone Air or iPhone Pro Max as well as the Pixel 10 Pro. Not only is it a nifty Bluetooth keyboard, it can also charge your phone with its 2300mAh battery. Let’s unbox it with CNET Director of Content Patrick Holland.

📽️: Faith Chihil #allthingsmobile #unboxing #clickskeyboard #clicks #keyboard #clickspowerkeyboard

Science & Technology

Lightspeed is building its edge on followers, not just funds | Equity Podcast

Published

11 hours ago

August 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Venture firms are turning to creators to build trust with the next generation of founders before a check is ever written. It’s a trend that’s been building with a16z’s acquisition of Erik Torenberg’s Turpentine podcast and OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN. Lightspeed Venture Partners just made its own notable hire in that vein, bringing on Claire Zau, a seed investor with a major following on Instagram and TikTok, to source deals and co-host the firm’s new show, Lightwork, alongside CMO Josh Machiz.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis is joined by Zau and Machiz to dive deep into whether the “creator-investor” is becoming a real function in venture or just something firms are still trying to figure out.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

1:03 Getting hired…via Instagram DM

3:36 Creating for the tech-curious, not just tech Twitter

8:12 What Instagram taught Claire about Gen Z and AI

10:44 Does audience feedback shape investment decisions?

11:19 Do founders now expect investors to be creators?

13:13 Inside the editing grind: hours per video

15:42 Who’s actually doing creator VC well right now

18:52 The risk of being taken less seriously

21:41 Measuring ROI: brand awareness and founder conversion

27:41 What’s next for Lightspeed’s media empire

29:22 Outro

CNET

Google Demos Google Glass in 2012 by Jumping Out of a Plane | CNET Archives

At Google I/O in June, 2012, co-founder Sergey Brin showcased Project Glass by streaming live Hangout footage of skydivers jumping from a plane while wearing the smart spectacles. Read more about it on CNET.com Everything We Know About Google’s Upcoming Smart Glasses Ahead of I/O 0:00 Sergey Brin interrupts the presentation for a special demo…

Published

19 hours ago

August 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

At Google I/O in June, 2012, co-founder Sergey Brin showcased Project Glass by streaming live Hangout footage of skydivers jumping from a plane while wearing the smart spectacles.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Everything We Know About Google’s Upcoming Smart Glasses Ahead of I/O

0:00 Sergey Brin interrupts the presentation for a special demo
0:46 Sergey connects with skydivers via a Google Glass Hangout
1:58 The view from a mile above the Moscone Center
2:49 The airplane doors open
3:15 Skydivers exit the plane and fly over San Francisco
4:02 Parachutes deploy
5:07 Skydivers land on the roof of the Moscone Center
6:01 Bikers receive the Google Glass unit on the roof
6:21 Rappelling down the side of the building
7:05 The final bike ride through the conference hall
7:37 The Google Glass unit successfully arrives on stage

Video Credits
Video Editor – Vatsal Upadhyay
Thumbnail Designer – Tharon Green

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#google #smartglasses #skydiving #googleglass #googleio #sergeybrin