In the startup world, Give First means simply trying to help anyone—especially entrepreneurs—with no expectation of getting anything back. It's the pay-it-forward principle that builds strong startup networks. Hosts David Cohen and Brad Feld—Techstars cofounders, lifelong entrepreneurs, and startup investors—talk with mentors and founders about what giving first looks like in action, and how it makes great entrepreneurship possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen sits down with James Oliver Jr., Techstars alum, entrepreneur, and author of Burn Bright, Not Out . James shares his journey navigating the pressures of high achievement and the hidden cost of hustle culture. He introduces the Burn Bright Spectrum, a framework to help founders recognize the difference between healthy ambition and burnout, and…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen sits down with John Fein, partner at Firebrand Ventures and former Techstars managing director. John reflects on the winding path of his career, from moments of uncertainty to finding renewed purpose through startups, venture, and community building. He shares how small acts of generosity, like answering a random email or making an…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld talks with David Hornik, founding partner at Lobby Capital. David shares how a relationship driven approach has shaped his career in venture capital, from investing to community building. He reflects on why generosity compounds over time, how trust creates durable networks, and why long term thinking matters in both business and life. The…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen talks with Seth Levine, Partner at Foundry and co-author of Capital Evolution . Seth looks back on the early days of Techstars, the original Boulder community that shaped it, and how Foundry is approaching its final fund while still actively investing. The conversation explores why so many people are questioning capitalism today. Seth breaks…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld talks with Bala Kamallakharan, founder of Startup Iceland and a driving force behind the country’s modern startup ecosystem. Bala shares the remarkable story of moving to Mumbai to build an Icelandic bank in 2008, only to watch the entire financial system collapse overnight. Within three months, he went from launching a new bank to shutting it…
In this special episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld and Sameer Dholakia revisit the origins of Pledge 1%, the global movement helping startups build philanthropy into their business from the start. What began as a simple conversation in Boulder between Brad and Rally Software co-founder Ryan Martens grew into a worldwide initiative championed by Salesforce, Atlassian, Techstars, and…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld sits down with Sameer Dholakia, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and former CEO of SendGrid, the first Techstars company to go public. When Sameer joined SendGrid, growth was slowing and the company was losing money. Under his leadership, it became a $250M business, went public, and was later acquired by Twilio. Sameer shares the story of…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld sits down with Robert Glazer, 5x entrepreneur, #1 Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, and author of the new book The Compass Within. Robert shares his framework for uncovering personal core values, the principles that guide decisions, relationships, and leadership. The conversation explores why many people are climbing the…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen sits down with longtime Techstars friend Andy Sack and former Starbucks Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman, co-CEOs of Forum3 and co-authors of AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand . They explore why AI isn’t just another vertical, but the foundation of how companies will be built, operated, and scaled in the years…
In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld talks with Scott Dorsey, co-founder of High Alpha and former CEO of ExactTarget, the email marketing pioneer acquired by Salesforce. Scott shares his journey from launching a startup with no technical background to building a company of 2,000 employees, going public, and running Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The conversation dives into why…
