Best Jo And Riley Podcasts (2024)

1
[$0 to $20M ARR in 1 year] Creating a Path to Financial Empowerment with Brigit's co-founder and CEO Zuben Mathews 25:21

6h ago25:21

25:21

Host Adam O'Donnell is back with this week's episode of Sit Down Startup with guest Zuben Mathews, co-founder and CEO of the financial health app Brigit. Mathews draws from his own experiences of financial hardship and his background in economics to address the critical issue of product-market fit in financial technology. He also emphasizes the imp…

1
#153 - Security-Minded UX with Caroline Morchio of Dashlane 33:55

1h ago33:55

33:55

In our Season 3 finale, Erin and Carol are joined by Caroline Morchio, Head of UX at Dashlane, a credential management platform. Their conversation explores UX research best practices at a security-minded organization like Dashlane, highlighting other what teams can bring to their own work. Caroline shares the ways she structures the UX team to sup…

1
[$150M Raised] Navigating Product-Market Fit in Healthcare: Ashok Subramanian on Building Centivo 23:54

1h ago23:54

23:54

In this insightful episode of Sit Down Startup, Ashok Subramanian, founder of Centivo, shares his incredible journey from immigrant roots to becoming a successful startup entrepreneur. With $150 million raised, Ashok discusses the challenges and triumphs of disrupting the traditional employer health insurance market to make healthcare affordable fo…

1
#152 - The Future of Research in Three Trends with Jo Widawski of Maze 43:05

14d ago43:05

43:05

Erin and Carol are joined by Jo Widawski, founder and CEO of Maze, to discuss the major findings from their "Future of User Research" report, which unearthed three trends animating researchers, PMs, and founders alike: 1) the demand for research is growing, 2) research democratization empowers stronger decision making, and 3) new technology—like ge…

1
[$3 Trillion Market Revolution] Democratizing Structured Notes with Halo Investing 23:54

17d ago23:54

23:54

Join host Adam O'Donnell on the latest episode of Sit Down Startup. This week, Jason Barsema, a former financial advisor specializing in managing portfolios for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, has emerged as a groundbreaking figure in disrupting the structured notes market. Barsema initially sought to eliminate the counterparty risk of big banks …

1
#151 - Improving Your UX Research Efficiency with Auzita Irani of AirBnB 54:47

18d ago54:47

54:47

Erin is joined by Auzita Irani, a research manager at AirBnB to discuss being a more efficient user experience researcher. In today's work world, resources—time, budget, headcount—always seem to be in limited supply. How can we balance these things along with other important elements of our research practices? Auzita has been thinking about "doing …

1
#150 - The Future of UX Research with Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner 50:38

1M ago50:38

50:38

It's our 150th episode! To celebrate, we brought together three thought leaders for a discussion about UX research's future. Erin and Carol are joined by Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner, who bring over 40 years of combined experience in UX research, both as practitioners and leaders. This wide-ranging conversation combines our guests'…

1
[4x Founder] From FBI to Founder: Jo Riley’s Journey to Product-Market Fit with Censia 41:30

2M ago41:30

41:30

Join us on the newest episode of Sit Down Startup as Jo Riley, founder of Censia, shares her inspiring journey from the FBI to launching a disruptive AI-driven platform. Host Adam O'Donnell and Jo discuss the importance of persistence, the value of customer feedback, and how Censia is transforming the way companies find and manage talent. Whether y…

1
#149 - Research Tactics for Designers & PMs with Tyler Wanlass of CommandBar 51:26

2M ago51:26

51:26

In this episode, Erin and Carol sit down with Tyler Wanlass, lead product designer at CommandBar, to explore practical strategies for conducting user research without a dedicated research team. They dig into techniques that designers and product managers can use to gather valuable insights efficiently, especially in resource-constrained environment…

1
[$30B Market Reimagined] Unlocking Home Care's Potential with Honor 32:16

2M ago32:16

32:16

Welcome back to Sit Down Startup! Seth Sternberg, co-founder of Honor ($625M raised), a company dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, was heavily influenced by his upbringing in Connecticut and his entrepreneurial spirit. Sternberg's experiences during the pandemic greatly shaped his perspecti…

1
#148 - Connecting Research to Revenue with Claudia Natasia of Riley AI 51:25

3M ago51:25

51:25

In this episode, Erin and Carol tackle one form of research impact growing in importance and necessity: revenue. Their guest is Claudia Natasia, co-founder and CEO of Riley AI. Before starting Riley, Claudia grew product teams at early-stage companies and worked in the financial industry. These experiences showed her the importance of linking user …

1
#147 - UX Research in Healthcare with Nadyne Richmond 47:19

2M ago47:19

47:19

Erin and Carol explore the complexities of healthcare research with Nadyne Richmond, a healthcare design advisor with a background in big tech who pivoted to healthcare research a decade ago to tackle the pressing issues she saw in the system. Nadyne underscores the nuances of conducting user experience (UX) research within healthcare settings, unp…

1
#146 - Building a UX Research Team From Scratch with Julian Della Mattia of the180 49:10

3M ago49:10

49:10

Erin and special co-host Ben Wiedmaier are joined by Julian Della Mattia of the180 for a deep dive into being UX team-of-one. Julian has been the first user researcher at a number of companies and shares his top to-dos, milestones, and things to consider before accepting such a role. The episode digs into the ways a solo UXR can start making an imp…

1
#145 - Kick-Start Creativity Using Desk Research with Victoria Sakal of Wonder 39:42

4M ago39:42

39:42

In this episode, Erin chats with Victoria Sakal, Head of Growth at Wonder, all about desk (or secondary) research—think web searches, checking internal resource libraries (like repositories), or interviewing colleagues. Desk research is a critical step when starting a new project. Victoria shares her framework for thinking about the differences bet…

1
#144 - The Craft of Sample Sizes with Lauren Stern of WHOOP 46:46

4M ago46:46

46:46

In this episode, Carol and Erin dive into all things research sample sizes with Lauren Stern. No matter your experience with user research, you'll need to recruit folks, making this an evergreen topic. Lauren has coached both new-to-research and junior UXRs on this critical topic and she shares some of her best advice. Lauren shares importance cons…

1
[$400M raised] FLYR Labs’s Founder, Alex Mans: journey to product-market fit 38:21

4M ago38:21

38:21

Welcome to the latest episode of Sit Down Startup, where host Adam O'Donnell explores FLYR Labs’ founder and CEO Alex Mans' meteoric rise with $400M raised, #boom! Transitioning from a consumer-focused model predicting ticket prices to a B2B powerhouse, they're now strategically collaborating with airlines to optimize pricing. Adam and Alex discuss…

1
#143 - Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and FindOurView 40:40

4M ago40:40

40:40

Carol and Erin welcome George Whitfield, an expert in applying AI to the analysis of qualitative data. George discusses the intricate challenges of leveraging language models to interpret expansive open-ended data (like interview transcripts), emphasizing the importance of context and not just keyword or topic identification. They'll dig into the c…

1
#142 - Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex 47:44

5M ago47:44

47:44

In this episode Carol and Erin are joined by Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design. They explore the world of measuring the impact of UX research. with Pryor introducing a four-level impact assessment framework. Ruby shares a four-level assessment framework and the conversation moves to prior…

1
#141 - The Chaos Theory of Event Networking with Bryan Dosono of eBay 41:10

5M ago41:10

41:10

In this episode of Awkward Silences, Carol and Erin dive into the world of conference networking and planning with Bryan Dosono, a staff UX research lead at eBay known for his extensive experience curating and organizing conference programs. Bryan share insights on how to prepare for conferences such as using apps to schedule meetings and emphasizi…

1
[$80M+ raised] THAT Product-market fit moment: Avoid the analysis trap; Shippo’s Founder, Laura Behrens Wu 41:37

5M ago41:37

41:37

In this episode of Sit Down Startup, join Laura Behrens Wu, founder of the multimillion-dollar shipping platform Shippo, as she reveals the pivotal moments that led to staggering growth and product-market fit success. Discover Shippo's journey using customer retention tactics (8:12), an API-first strategy (13:33), and conquering the Shopify App Sto…

1
Trulia’s Founder; product-market-fit journey with Sami Inkinen 42:49

6M ago42:49

42:49

In the latest episode of Sit Down Startup, uncover Sami Inkinen's entrepreneurial journey, [00:11:28] beginning with how seizing the opportunity in his 20s set the stage for a phenomenal career. Sami shares his groundbreaking strides in [00:19:51] revolutionizing residential real estate with interactive maps, helping Trulia achieve an unparalleled …

1
Failed startup to $98M raised; Thoropass’s Founder, Sam Li shares their product-market-fit journey 22:20

7M ago22:20

22:20

Sam Li, co-founder and CEO of Thoropass, has a rich background. His perspective on achieving product-market fit as a startup founder is rooted in resourcefulness, curiosity, and adaptability. Here are some cool parts of the episode to check out! (00:02:18) Navigating Rookie Mistakes as a Founder (00:07:48) The Importance of Intellectual Honesty in …

1
[$163M raised] Knowing you’ve hit product-market fit; Redpanda’s Founder, Alex Gallego 22:16

7M ago22:16

22:16

In this insightful episode, Red Panda's founder, Alex Gallego, embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the entrepreneurial journey. [00:02:33] He reveals the intertwining of personal struggles and leadership challenges, while advocating for a more supportive startup community. [00:10:36] Alex unpacks his ever-evolving CEO priorities; from achievi…

1
[$100M+ raised] How to get product-market fit validation without an MVP 28:26

8M ago28:26

28:26

Sit Down Startup is back with Arjun Narayan, founder of Materialize, who shares how they nearly hit product-market fit before their MVP was ready! Host Adam O'Donnell dives into Arjun's journey from India to raising $100M+ (1:40) and revolutionizing real-time data processing with Materialize (00:45). Founders will appreciate the dialogue on tech da…

1
#140 - Should You Leave Academia? Advice for Researchers with Joe Stubenrauch 47:00

8M ago47:00

47:00

The decision to leave academia can be difficult. Often, it involves giving up a stable career path and a lifetime commitment to a particular field of study. But as Joe Stubenrauch explains, the move also offers researchers the opportunity to pursue new career paths, improve work-life balance and geographic flexibility, and reinvent their lives. And…

1
#139 - Content Design and the Power of Simple Language with Erica Jorgensen 43:56

9M ago43:56

43:56

How often do you think about content design? The answer, most likely, is: “not enough”. The work of a Content Designer involves fitting the right words in the right places, understanding the nuances of things log in vs. sign in, and knowing the right words to use to engage customers. Content Design is an important part of the user experience—and th…

1
[$217M raised] Stop convincing prospects and find the ones who get it: Sentry’s Founder, David Cramer 30:51

9M ago30:51

30:51

In this new episode of Sit Down Startup, Adam interviews Sentry's founder David Cramer, who shares insights from his illustrious journey that led to successfully raising $217 million. Tune in as David delves into diverse topics such as unraveling unique product monetization, cultivating unwavering belief in success (00:05:41), the power of focus an…

1
Arc’s $181M Success: Unity-Led-Growth with Founder, Don Muir 23:40

10M ago23:40

23:40

In this week's episode of Sit Down Startup, get to know Donald Muir, the creator and driving force behind Arc, a digital bank crafted for the tech-savvy crowd. As an experienced business leader with a keen desire for breakthroughs, Muir's interpretations of the explosion and teamwork in online banking post-SVB collapse (2:45) come from his hands-on…

1
#138 - Designers as Change Agents with Maria Giudice 43:26

10M ago43:26

43:26

“I realized that design is about helping people make sense of the world. And I looked at the world differently then… treating everything like a design problem that's solvable [...] [Design leaders today] don't use the power that we have to engage people, to activate people, to help them believe in something bigger than themselves.” Maria Guidice, a…

1
Bootstrapped to $40M and then raised $125M? Slice’s Founder, Ilir Sela 26:35

10M ago26:35

26:35

Join us for the latest episode of Sit Down Startup! Anyone want to order a pizza? You're in luck. This week's guest Ilir Sela is the founder and CEO of Slice, a platform that "builds innovative tech to empower America’s independent pizzerias." Sounds delicious! Ilir dives into... Fax-machine-MVP - meet the customer where they are Why he bootstrappe…

1
Interstitial S4 Will Be On RILEY HOPKINS AND THEIR AMAZING FRIENDS 4:04

11M ago4:04

4:04

We're moving feeds! This Interstitial AP feed will no longer be receiving updates, but you can find future seasons of Interstitial and similar fanfiction inspired actual play over at Riley Hopkins and their Amazing Friends! https://moonshotpods.com/rhataf/

1
#137 - Practical Strategies to Foster Customer Obsession with Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin 41:23

11M ago41:23

41:23

What company isn’t “customer obsessed”? Well, a lot, as it turns out. That’s not for lack of caring—but building a customer-centric culture is easier said than done. And how you do this depends on whether you’re starting from square one or trying to change a company’s culture from the inside. According to Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin…

1
#136 - Designing Generative AI at Notion with Linus Lee 45:29

11M ago45:29

45:29

AI is a big part of Notion's strategy for the future of knowledge work, and they're exploring ways to use AI to make people's lives easier. Linus Lee, a Research Engineer at Notion, spends his time researching and learning about AI—how users interact with it, the challenges of building trustworthy AI systems, and its - potential to help people work…

1
[$150M raised] OpenStore’s Co-Founder, Jeremy Wood: Building the Right Engine: Overcoming Doubts 23:54

11M ago23:54

23:54

Jeremy Wood's solution, OpenStore, offers these founders the option to sell their businesses or have OpenStore operate and run the stores on their behalf. This innovative approach has not only provided a lifeline for many e-commerce founders but has also positioned OpenStore as a major player in the e-commerce market. Join Adam O'Donnell and Jeremy…

1
#135 - How to Influence Stakeholders with Strategic Research with Andrea Amorós, Associate Principal Researcher at ADP 45:26

12M ago45:26

45:26

“I think people really connect when you are just genuine and not transactional. I think it's much more easy to get to those kind of opportunities because they just feel genuine.” According to Andrea Amorós, Associate Principal Research at ADP, giving research a seat at the big table is all about building meaningful connections with the people you’r…

1
[$200M+ Raised] Self-Doubt & Worry to Thriving Through Startup Challenges; Electric.ai's Founder, Ryan Denehy 22:27

12M ago22:27

22:27

Ryan Denehy discussed the importance of overcoming self-doubt in the early stages of a startup. He shares his own experiences, practical advice, and data-driven insights that can help founders navigate the competitive business landscape. Thank you to this week's partners Aktie Now and WorknetGPT! Aktie Now has a special offer for startups joining t…

1
#134 - The End of an Era: A Fond Farewell to JH 22:53

12M ago22:53

22:53

134 episodes. That’s how long Awkward Silences has been going with Erin and JH as hosts. But now it’s time for something new. JH says goodbye to Awkward Silences as he kicks off a new chapter in his career. Today, he and Erin reflect on the years. They share a bit of the original background to the podcast, their favorite memories, and even some beh…

1
#133 - Driving Actionable Decisions from Insights with Pejman Mirza-Babaei, UX Research Consultant 47:35

12M ago47:35

47:35

As a researcher, you know the value of using research to drive business decisions—but other stakeholders might not. In order to drive action from research, you need to create alignment with key decision-makers and the research you do. Pejman Mirza-Babaei joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss how to transform research insights into actionabl…

1
The Founder-led Content Formula; Atrium’s Founder Pete Kazanjy 22:37

1y ago22:37

22:37

Atrium, a software company co-founded by Pete Kazanjy in 2016, has achieved more business success with fewer Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). This accomplishment can be credited to their strong inbound game and their valuable content that educates and provides insights to their community of 35,000 members. Atrium's software helps businesse…

1
#132 - Unveiling UX Insights with Competitive Research with Rachel Miles, Research Lead at IBM 41:55

1y ago41:55

41:55

Competition can be scary. But in UX, competitive research is insightful. You don’t want to chase your competitors, but you need to know what they are doing to know how you can improve. Rachel Miles joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss the value of competitive research in UX and design. As the UX research lead at IBM, Rachel integrated comp…

1
[$1.2B Val] Epidemic Sound's Founder, Oscar Hoglund: Overcoming Gov Regulations & Launching A Marketplace 27:52

1y ago27:52

27:52

The success of Epidemic Sound, a platform for content creators and music artists, is a testament to the skill, and creativity of Oscar Hoglund and his team. Despite the numerous legal and financial obstacles they encountered, they refused to give up on their mission and took the fight to Brussels to change copyright laws and protect artists from ex…

1
#131 - Designing Beyond the Product: Systems Thinking with Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial 48:24

1y ago48:24

48:24

In design and UX research, context is king. Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s a part of a wider ecosystem of stakeholders, beneficiaries, and more. Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial, recognized a clear gap in design methods that only addressed the individual user and the immediate product benefits: designing beyond the pr…

1
Tailscale's $113M Success: Developer-Led-Growth 25:46

1y ago25:46

25:46

Tailscale has been a huge success, raising over $113 million and growing to 80 employees. They discovered that if developers love the product, they will tell their decision makers in their organization to buy it, and the money will follow. To ensure customer satisfaction, they use Net Promoter Score to move people from the middle to the top and off…

1
#130 - The Art of Great Facilitation for Better Collaboration with Marsha Acker, Founder and CEO of TeamCatapult 51:55

1y ago51:55

51:55

There are 6 key qualities for great facilitation: Starting with your core beliefs Maintaining neutrality Standing in the storm Honoring the wisdom of the group Upholding the agile mindset Honoring the group’s agenda According to Marsha Acker, Founder, and CEO of TeamCatapult, “The job of facilitator is not to become the agile process police that sa…

1
[$161M Raised] From Series A Struggles to 400 Employees: LinkSquares' Growth Strategies with Founder Vishal Sunak 19:20

1y ago19:20

19:20

Vishal Sunak, Founder of LinkSquares, shares his journey of building software for legal teams. Listen as he speaks to Sit Down Startup's host Adam O'Donnell about raising $161 million over five rounds of venture capital, overcoming fundraising struggles, and unlocking the secrets to growth. Discover the importance of building a strong product, foun…

1
#129 - How to Upskill Product Teams in UX Research with Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist 43:46

1y ago43:46

43:46

How can UX researchers enable other teams to do research? Show, don’t tell. According to Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, upskilling product people to do research means letting them observe, sit in, and be present during each stage of a research project—not just being told what to do. Helen went from doing scrappy research with 0…

1
Bootstrapped to $100M+ Exit: Pardot’s Founder, David Cummings' Startup Journey 21:40

1y ago21:40

21:40

Join Adam O'Donnell on Sit Down Startup as he sits down with David Cummings, the founder of Pardot, which eventually sold to Salesforce. In this episode, they discuss pivoting from unsuccessful strategies, customer discovery, and marketing automation platform, while sharing their personal stories of startup challenges.…

1
#128 - The Value of “Scrappy” Research with Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder of Apple and Banana 40:28

1y ago40:28

40:28

What does good “scrappy” user research look like? According to Varun Murugesan, Co-founder of Apple and Banana, “You could throw anything at Jason Bourne and he would solve it... Would it be effective? [Yes—and] that's what I think about. I don't need all the fanciest tools or software.” Being good at scrappy user research is like being the Jason B…

1
Instacart's Former Chief Growth Officer; Building a Successful ML Startup: Anomalo's, Founder, Elliot Shmukler 21:15

1y ago21:15

21:15

Adam O'Donnell sits down with Elliot Shmukler, former Chief Growth Officer at Instacart and co-founder of Anomalo, to discuss the challenges data teams face in detecting and solving data quality issues using machine learning. Despite the initial failure of their product to meet customer needs, Anomalo was able to grow 10x ARR during the big recessi…

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Jo And Riley Podcasts

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