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Brent Mulligan

StartUp - Alex Blumberg's (Planet Money/NPR) new startup podcast.

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StartUp is a documentary series about entrepreneurial life. The show has been downloaded tens of millions of times since its launch in 2014.

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Matthew Lieber
Maker
Hi everyone. Matt from StartUp here (cofounder of @abexlumberg). We're excited to have you listening. We really are building this company in real time, and documenting it as we go. We would love to hear what you think of the show. There's a new episode coming next week. Subscribe on iTunes (or your favorite podcast app) to get it: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podc... Speaking of which, what is the preferred podcast app around here?
Geoffrey Weg
@mlieber Congrats on the launch, Matt! Big fan of Alex's work and am looking forward to checking out StartUp. I'm an iTunes guy. I usually download podcasts onto my iPad nano and listen during runs and bike rides.
Adam Kazwell
@mlieber I'm a Downcast user myself, although been thinking a lot about what @mazzeo mentions in Eps 2. If I had to guess, I think the key to unlocking a whole new set of podcast listeners would be to offer some type of functionality that makes podcasts more easily skimmable. So much good content is buried in 1-2 hour long episodes. Making the best snippets/highlights accessible would enable more people to listen to more shows.
Matthew Lieber
Maker
@kaz I agree. I've seen some products out there in beta which attempt to do this. We are targeting 20-40 minute episodes because that's the length of a typical commute or a workout. But we also want to experiment with shorter stuff as well.
Stuart McCroden
@mlieber Like @kaz I was thinking shorter... I'm not thinking, what if there was something like Circa for podcasts? I'm not sure how it would fully work--I'm just riffing here.
Adam Kazwell
@mlieber some shows, like yours, are totally worth the full 20-40 minute listen....and as long as a show is interesting I'm fine listening for 60-90+ mins. Just so much other good content going undiscovered/consumed because it's lost in rambling :) Which products in beta are you keeping an eye on?
Ryan Hoover
I'll add this to my rotation. Here are a few long-time favorite podcasts of mine, previously shared in the Overcast thread a few months ago: This Week in Startups with @jason (here's my interview from a few weeks ago) - This Week in Tech with @leolaporte - This Week in Google with @leolaporte, @ginatrapani, and @jeffjarvis - Freakonomics
Matthew Lieber
Maker
@rrhoover Have you listened to the @a16z podcast? The sound quality is terrible, but the conversations are intelligent and fast moving.
Ryan Hoover
@mlieber yes, I have! That's a new addition to my playlist. I actually recorded an episode with @nireyal a few weeks ago that should be published soon.
Adam Kazwell
aw man, was just about to post this! really enjoying the show so far...first 2 episodes have been great.
Andrew Zusman
Oh great! I'm always on the lookout for something to listen to between the Prodcast (my affectionate name for the PH Podcast).
Erik Torenberg
I knew @kaz would be all over this :) The second episode featuring @mazzeo is FANTASTIC. I'd love to have @ablexlumberg on a PH podcast interview. @Mlieber - a couple q's...what has been the response been from friends and colleagues not in technology? When can we expect any sort of launch?
Alin - Catalin
I'm listening episode 1 right now. It's great.
Eithiriel DeMerè
Stoked!
Gregory Ciotti
Already off to a great start, this could be really interesting.
AlexSalkever
Love @planetmoney. Am sure I will love this. Huge anticipation.
Stuart McCroden
Planet Money is one of my favorite podcasts. I loved the first episode of StartUp! Also, @abexlumberg, your wife is awesome. haha I had the same reaction to the proposed name!
Matthew Lieber
Maker
@McCroden Hi Stuart. I like Orelo, but I think I'm the only one. Do you have any suggestions?
Stuart McCroden
@mlieber I think it may depend very much if it's a name for a podcast or a name for a platform for interacting with podcasts.
John Sheehan
@mlieber before Alex explained 'Orelo' was Esperanto I though it was a play on "aural"
Matthew Lieber
Maker
@johnsheehan Yeah. Unfortch the pervs out there hear a play on "oral" or "areola"
Erik Torenberg
Yo PH-ers: wanna recommend some names @mlieber and @ablexlumberg should think consider besides American Podcasting Corporation? :)
Preet
@eriktorenberg Frankly I think it's kind of appealing. Some of the most iconic companies (not necessarily brands mind you) have names that truly state their focus. Standard Oil, Union Pacific Railroads, General Electric, American Telephone and Telegraph co
Stephen Black
@eriktorenberg @preetnation American Podcasting Corporation is a brilliant name. As APC is to American Podcasting Corporation, YC is to Y Combinator. Both names are very very specific.
Mark Sandeno
I'm a big fan of Planet Money and @ablexlumberg by past association. What I love about the way he does podcast is (but not limited to) the following: 1. Really tight format and controlled episode length. (Most podcasts sound like a bunch of bros talking over each other for 45 to an hour.) 2. Chock full of compelling narratives about things that could be otherwise presented very poorly. (Economics, business, small wins and big failures) 3. A transparency and insight into the character and personality of the podcasters. (vs them presenting an artificial "veneer") At any rate, big fan. Love the new podcast!
Sanjay Parekh
Heard the bit on "This American Life" and glad it's come to fruition.
David Lidsky
Listened to the first two episodes this morning. Really fantastic. Both extremely well done audio documentary and a fascinating, self-aware chronicle of a first-time founder. Can't wait for the rest of this mini-series and then the actual "product" from Orelo or APC or whatever. I think branding is wildly undervalued in SV. Let's face it: I am writing this comment on Product Hunt (no offense, gang). Yesterday, Apple released products named "Watch" and "Pay" and "iPhone 6 Plus." These aren't exactly Kleenex, or Google or Uber, in terms of creating a strong brand. My point is that a lot of tech companies make things work without a distinctive name, so coming up with a company name is important but given how things work in tech, I'd put more energy into thinking about the platform than worrying about the name.
Christopher Jaynes
Long time fan of Planet Money, and I can't believe how great this idea by Alex is. He's doing a podcast of himself starting a podcast company. He's opening explanation of why he's embarking on this is a great summation of why we all do startups. Excited to see where this goes, and to hear more hilarity from his wife who had the comment while helping Alex pick an outfit for his pitch to Chris Sacca, "There is a greater chance he will give you money if you're not wearing running shoes"
Andy Keil
Awesome. So stoked for this.
Joseph Hsieh
I admit, I'm late to this party but I've listened back-to-back episodes and so glad that Alex is sharing his experience about his startup with this podcast (about a Podcasting company). Really meta, but love it.
Anil Celik
It's the podcast made me love podcasts.
Udara Jay
Nothing better than this! Absolutely love the authenticity!