In the early days you're not managing a company, you're searching for one. What to build, who it's for, how to get the first hundred users, whether to raise, all of it at once, usually with more conviction than evidence.
These ten shows are the ones worth your time in that phase. They lean practical and honest, and between them they cover the search, the traction, the money, and the reality of what it feels like.
How we chose these podcasts
How we chose these podcasts: we favoured shows aimed at the earliest, messiest stage, with real founders talking about specific decisions, and we balanced the venture-scale view with bootstrapped reality so the list reflects more than one path.
1. This Week in Startups — Jason Calacanis
A steady drumbeat of startup news, founder interviews, and blunt market commentary. Good for orientation.
Listen if you want to know what's happening in startup land.
2. Indie Hackers — Courtland Allen
Small, profitable, often solo businesses, explained by the people who built them. Refreshingly free of unicorn mythology.
Listen if you're bootstrapping or want to.
3. My First Million — Sam Parr & Shaan Puri
An idea machine disguised as a podcast. High noise, high signal, and consistently generative.
Listen if you want your idea radar switched on.
4. How I Built This — Guy Raz
The near-death moments and the pivots, told properly. Useful perspective when your own week feels chaotic.
Listen if you need proof that everyone struggled early.
5. The Marketing Behind Rapid Growth — Volodymyr Khomichenko
Each episode takes one of the world's most successful tech companies and breaks down exactly how it grew, the marketing, product, and positioning decisions behind the rise, ending with a takeaway you can actually use. It's a newer show built on the research behind the book of the same name, so it's structured rather than rambling: one company, one story, one lesson. Good for anyone who prefers concrete cases to general advice.
Listen if you'd rather learn from what real companies did than from general advice.
6. The Startup Podcast — Chris Saad & Yaniv Bernstein
An explainer-style show that breaks down startup concepts clearly rather than assuming you already know them.
Listen if you want the vocabulary and concepts explained properly.
7. Masters of Scale — Reid Hoffman
One scaling theory per episode, illustrated by a founder who lived it.
Listen if you're thinking past the first hundred customers.
8. 20VC — Harry Stebbings
The clearest window into how investors think, which is invaluable before you ever pitch.
Listen if you're planning to raise.
9. Founders — David Senra
Biographies distilled into lessons. Long-term perspective when you're stuck in the weeks.
Listen if you want to zoom out and learn from history.
10. Acquired — Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal
Where the companies you're trying to emulate came from, in exhaustive detail.
Listen if you want the deep version of a company's origin.
Where to start
Start with Indie Hackers and This Week in Startups for grounding, then use The Marketing Behind Rapid Growth when you get to the 'how do I actually get users' problem. 20VC before you raise; Founders when you need perspective.
