The Ignite Podcast
Conversations that
move the field.
Hosted by Brian Bell, Ignite brings founders, investors, and thought leaders together for candid conversations about startups, venture capital, technology, and society.
Aug 3, 2026 · 00:49:45
Ignite Political Economy: The Geopolitical Risks Founders Are Underpricing with Frank Lavin | Ep286
A $300 million Indonesia launch can be reckless when first-year revenue may reach only $5 million. Frank Lavin, a fellow at the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, served in the Reagan White House and later became U.S. ambassador to Singapore. He also worked on…
Jul 27, 2026 · 00:38:11
Ignite Startups: Passive Sensors, Drone Swarms, and the Future of Air Defense with Deo Arlo | Ep285
Arlo Industries is replacing 100-year-old radar assumptions with a passive sensor mesh built to track small drones in real time. Deo Arlo is the founder and CEO of YC-backed Arlo Industries. Born during violent riots in Indonesia, he later spent six years in Israel, experienced…
Jul 20, 2026 · 00:35:36
Ignite AI: The Future of Voice AI Testing and Self-Improving Agents with Tarush Agarwal | Ep284
A multi-turn prompt attack convinced one of the biggest providers’ voice agents to issue a $150 discount code. Tarush Agarwal is the co-founder and CEO of Cekura.ai, which builds testing and verification infrastructure for voice agents. Before founding Cekura, he studied…
Jul 15, 2026 · 00:44:20
Ignite Startups: The AI-Powered PR Platform Built for Startups with Misha Makara | Ep283
What happens when the engineer companies call during a technical crisis finally gets to build something that is already working? Misha Makara is the co-founder and CTO of Rally AI, an AI-powered platform positioning itself as a company’s first PR hire. After more than 15 years…
Jul 8, 2026 · 00:48:18
Ignite Product: Jeff Gothelf on Lean UX and Product Strategy in the Age of AI | Ep282
What happens when the person who helped popularize Lean UX looks at AI-powered product teams and sees the same old trap returning—only faster? Jeff Gothelf is the co-creator of the Lean UX movement, author of Lean UX, Sense and Respond, and Who Does What By How Much?, and…
Jul 6, 2026 · 00:53:14
Ignite Startups: How Adam Nash Built Daffy Into a $1B Donor-Advised Fund Platform | Ep281
What if the most important financial product in your life isn’t for saving, investing, or spending—but for giving money away? Adam Nash has spent his career building consumer financial products people actually trust. He was VP of Product at LinkedIn through its IPO, President…
Jun 18, 2026 · 00:54:17
Ignite VC: How Jeffrey Becker Bets on Founders Before Product, Revenue, or Traction | Ep280
What does it take to spot a generational founder before there’s a product, revenue, or even a fully formed company? Jeffrey Becker has built his career around that question. As General Partner at Antler, he co-leads the firm’s US Fund from New York, backing founders at inception…
Jun 16, 2026 · 00:47:25
Ignite VC: The Capital Markets Hack Founders Are Missing with Jonathan David Nelson | Ep279
Jonathan David Nelson has lived a stranger founder journey than most: missionary kid in Latin America, trauma nurse, software engineer, founder community builder, and now capital markets contrarian. After building Hackers and Founders from a bar meetup into a global startup…
Jun 9, 2026 · 01:19:19
Ignite AI: Dennis Mortensen on Startup Failure, AI Agents, and Why Boring SaaS Problems Win | Ep268
What does a founder learn after selling four companies, burning one to the ground, and spending years building AI agents before “AI agents” became the phrase of the moment? Dennis Mortensen has the scars to answer that. A Danish-born, New York-based serial founder, Dennis has…
Jun 5, 2026 · 00:57:34
Ignite VC: Charlie O’Donnell on Founder Unfriendly and the Real Game of Startup Fundraising | Ep277
What if the hardest part of raising venture capital isn’t building the company — but understanding the game being played across the table? Charlie O’Donnell has spent more than two decades inside the venture machine: first on the LP side at the General Motors Pension Fund, then…
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