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StartUp Podcast

A series about what it's really like to start a business.

Gimlet

Does climate change freak you out? Want to know what we, collectively, can do about it? Us too. How to Save a Planet is a podcast that asks the big questions: what do we need to do to solve the climate crisis, and how do we get it done? 
Join us, journalist Alex Blumberg and scientist and policy nerd Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, as we scour the Earth for solutions, talk to people who are making a difference, ask hard questions, crack dumb jokes and — episode by episode — figure out how to build the future we want.

Introducing How to Save a Planet

Introducing StartUp

Normally, being the mayor of Dayton, Ohio, means paying attention to everyday issues, from garbage pickups to municipal budgets. But in the early morning hours of August 4, 2019, a gunman opened fire at a downtown bar in the city, and Nan Whaley’s role as mayor immediately shifted. She found herself thrust into the national spotlight as all eyes turned to Dayton. And it wasn't long before she was face-to-face with President Donald Trump.

Alex Talks to Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley

When Desmond Meade got out of prison after serving time for a nonviolent felony, he was homeless and wrestling with addiction. A decade later, he started a campaign that very few people thought was winnable: amending the Florida constitution to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions. His unusual path to success on this politicized issue? Avoid politics, and appeal to principles.

Alex Talks to Voting Rights Activist Desmond Meade

Jonathan Vaughters was a member of the famed USPS pro cycling team when his teammate Lance Armstrong won the first of a record-breaking seven straight Tours de France. While fans were awed and inspired by the victories, Jonathan knew there was something else fueling those wins: performance enhancing drugs — something the entire team was using, including himself. The deception weighed heavy on his conscience, and Jonathan found himself at a crossroads: live with the lie or come clean and become a traitor to his friends, colleagues, and the most powerful man in cycling, Lance Armstrong.

Alex Talks to Cycling Whistleblower Jonathan Vaughters

Ever since he was young, Shane McAnally knew he wanted to be a country music star. But as a gay man, he didn’t fit the Nashville mold, and so he hid his true identity for years as he struggled to break through. Little did he know that coming out would prove the key to his success. 
We created a playlist of Shane McAnally hits, from artists like Kenny Chesney and Kacey Musgraves. You can find it at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ixldv7V7QUegFLYo3k5RN?si=Slqyo5ypQO6LiRydT-PbTQ

Alex Talks to Country Songwriter Shane McAnally

Aline Brosh McKenna got her big break as the screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada. But even after successful box office hits and many years in Hollywood, she found herself having to compromise her vision over and over again. So she took matters into her own hands.

Alex Talks to Rom-Com Revolutionary Aline Brosh McKenna

Janice Bryant Howroyd’s company started in the front of a rug shop with just a phone, a fax machine, and a lot of hustle. 40 years later, that company is a huge multinational serving some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world. It earns over a billion dollars in revenue, making Janice the first African-American woman to start and run a billion dollar business. But her journey to CEO wasn’t an easy one. Janice talks with Alex about the people who encouraged her down that path, and her realization that being brilliant and owning your brilliance are two different things.

Alex Talks to Billion-Dollar Business CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd

Comedian Nick Kroll became a star by playing a cast of over-the-top characters like Bobby Bottleservice and Gil Faizon. But for years he was careful to keep his own story out of his comedy. Now, with his hit show Big Mouth, Nick is taking on his most challenging material yet: his adolescence.

Alex Talks to Nick Kroll

This week, we’re sharing the first episode of Esther Perel’s new show How’s Work? In it, the couples therapist behind the beloved show Where Should We Begin? sits down with coworkers, cofounders and colleagues, and brings her inimitable perspective to workplace relationships and conflicts.

Introducing How’s Work? with Esther Perel

In November 1995, Ira Glass quietly launched the first episode of This American Life. The rest, as they say, is history. Today his show is a colossal success and Ira Glass is a household name. But in the intervening two decades, Ira has left an indelible mark on the industry by helping to shape hundreds of podcasts as well as hundreds of podcasters — including Alex. On this episode, Alex sits down with his mentor and former boss to talk about the early days at This American Life, what Ira taught Alex, and how being a good boss means learning to set people free.

Alex Talks to Ira Glass

Nina Jacobson is a force in Hollywood. She’s behind some of the biggest movies of the last 20 years: The Sixth Sense, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hunger Games, and most recently Crazy Rich Asians. She’s had a lot of success. But also some pretty big failures: a public firing, some box office flops. Nina walks Alex through her failure resume and talks about what it takes to make a hit.

Alex Talks to Hollywood Hitmaker Nina Jacobson

Dapper Dan made a name for himself as one of Harlem’s premier fashion designers in the 1980s, creating unique leather designs covered in counterfeit logos from brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. But when the fashion houses found out, they shut him down. So how, 20 years later, did Dapper Dan make it to the top of the world that put him out of business? 
We created a playlist of some of the songs that name-drop Dapper Dan, from artists like LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, and Pusha T... You can find it exclusively on Spotify, at open.spotify.com/playlist/6Gl7MBd1RvVT4ihFVrSaqF?si=H6XBdhYHTTW8aBzbUhLXaQ.

Alex Talks to Fashion Icon Dapper Dan

As acquisition talks with Spotify continue, Alex and Matt face their hopes and fears about what might lie ahead.

Exit

Just days before Thanksgiving, Alex and Matt board a red-eye to Stockholm for a conversation that could change everything.

Thanksgiving in Stockholm

It's the spring of 2018, four years after Alex and Matt launched Gimlet, and things are not going well. Audiences are flat, ad sales are flagging, and the company is burning through cash at an alarming rate. And with all of those pressures, Alex and Matt have started to fight.

Our Company Has Problems

Five years ago, StartUp began chronicling the life of a fledgling Brooklyn-based podcasting company called Gimlet Media. This year, the streaming giant Spotify bought that company. In the final season of StartUp, what it's really like to sell a business.

Introducing StartUp: The Final Chapter

Alex introduces an episode of The Journal. about companies monitoring their workers. It's common, it's legal. And it can lead to employers having surprisingly personal information about the people who work for them.

Introducing The Journal.

Jenny Doan and her husband, Ron, lost most of their savings in the 2008 financial crisis. Retirement was just around the corner, and they didn’t know how they would make it through. That’s when the family went all-in on an unlikely business—a quilt shop.

Alex Talks to Missouri Star Quilt Company Co-Founder Jenny Doan

As a Democrat from a red state, Senator Heidi Heitkamp built a reputation for her willingness to buck party pressure and reach across the aisle. But when Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, she found herself facing a decision between her principles and her political fate.

Alex Talks to Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp

When Elaine Welteroth was appointed editor in chief of Teen Vogue in 2015, she was the youngest and first black editor in the publication’s history. She set out to transform Teen Vogue into something more than just a fashion magazine...but Elaine had taken the helm of a publication in crisis.

Alex Talks to Elaine Welteroth

Jerry Colonna was a high-flying venture capitalist in New York City at the height of the dot-com boom. He looked like the picture of success—but as time wore on, he felt more and more like a fraud. And when the boom went bust, it all began to unravel for him. Alex talks to Jerry about that struggle, and about how it led him to his current life as one of the most in-demand executive coaches—who just happens to be Alex’s own executive coach. 
This episode discusses suicide and mental illness. If you’re feeling depressed or you just need to talk to someone, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The number is 1-800-273-8255. 
The StartUp episode referenced in this conversation — the episode that includes one of Alex and Jerry’s sessions — is called “Shadowed Qualities.”

Alex Talks to CEO Whisperer Jerry Colonna

Actor Erika Alexander came of age at a moment when there were lots of Black TV shows airing in primetime. She got her break in the early ‘90s with a role on the Cosby Show, and found fame as fast-talking lawyer Maxine Shaw in the hit sitcom Living Single. But then the number of Black sitcoms airing on the major networks dwindled, and so did roles for Black actors. In this conversation with The Nod’s Eric Eddings, Erika talks about navigating Hollywood after that Black entertainment boom went bust.

The Nod's Eric Eddings Talks to Erika Alexander

Gretchen Carlson, the long-time co-host of Fox & Friends, set off shockwaves in 2016 when she filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. Just two weeks later, he was ousted from the network. But it had taken years of enduring abusive behavior before the former Miss America spoke out — and she's not done yet.

Alex Talks to Gretchen Carlson

Steven Canals was a virtual unknown when he co-created the award-winning TV series Pose. Set in the 1980s ballroom scene of New York, the show is unlike any prime time television drama that had come before it — and that is in large part because Steven Canals is unlike most other show creators in Hollywood. But getting Pose to the screen meant more than breaking down barriers for Steven; it meant coming to understand that the story could not be told without him.

Alex Talks to Pose Co-Creator Steven Canals

Jeff Ullrich was a struggling business manager with a drinking problem and a waning sense of professional direction when, in 2010, he saw an opportunity: podcasting. It was a brand new medium, and no one had really tapped its potential. Together with comedian Scott Aukerman, Jeff founded Earwolf, one of the first podcast networks, and developed shows like How Did This Get Made? and Comedy Bang! Bang!. Jeff was one of the biggest names in the industry — and then he made a decision that got him erased from the history books.

Alex Talks to a Podcasting Pioneer

When Edouardo Jordan’s Seattle restaurant JuneBaby won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant last year, it was the first time that an African American chef had won that particular honor. Edouardo won for a restaurant that reclaims black southern food and proclaims its history. But he had spent years overlooking his culinary roots as he trained in high-end kitchens. It was a path he started down when, as a lowly cook in Tampa, Florida, he talked himself into a job at the famed restaurant The French Laundry.

Alex Talks to Award-Winning Chef Edouardo Jordan

Dave Morin’s love for the internet began when he was a geeky kid in Montana. By his early 20s, it had led him to Apple and then to Facebook, where he became employee number 29. He helped the company innovate, pursuing a deeply-held mission: letting people be themselves and share their lives on the internet. But when Facebook began to shift, deprioritizing user privacy, Dave left the company. And he tried to create his own social media utopia.

Alex Talks to an Early Facebook Insider

Anna Chlumsky became famous virtually overnight at the age of 10, when she starred in the 1991 hit My Girl opposite Macaulay Culkin. And then, a few years later, she disappeared. She left acting completely and decided to become something else: an utterly normal college student, who set off on an utterly normal career. Anna tells Alex about that time in her life, about her eventual return to acting, and about playing Amy Brookheimer on the HBO show Veep. She’s earned five Emmy nominations in that role.

Alex Talks to Actress Anna Chlumsky

In the days after September 11, 2001, Kenneth Feinberg took on an unenviable task. Congress had created the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, and it was his job to figure out who should receive money and how much they should get. But much of his time was spent doing something else: listening to people’s stories. Nearly two decades later, he’s still the person we turn to in the wake of our worst catastrophes.

Alex Talks to a Tragedy Expert

Paul Holes was starting out in the field of criminology when, one day in 1994, he spotted a filing cabinet in the library of the crime lab where he was working. He opened a drawer, pulled out some files, and discovered the cold case that he would spend his entire career trying to solve. He did it through a trial and error process that involved old-fashioned detective work, new technology, and countless wrong turns before he finally found himself at the Golden State Killer’s front door.

Alex Talks to a Cold Case Investigator

In 1998, Patty McCord joined a new company called Netflix. Her title was chief talent officer. And over the next ten years as Netflix grew (and grew), she and CEO Reed Hastings built a new kind of workplace. They threw out all the usual rules -- no more expense authorization forms or vacation requests -- and focused on creating a culture of excellence. But that culture of excellence didn’t come only through hiring the right people. Patty had to get good at firing, too.

Alex Talks to an HR Maverick

During the dot-com bubble, Henry Blodget was making millions of dollars as a top analyst on Wall Street. But when that bubble burst, his fortunes changed. He became the public face of a corruption investigation that ended with the SEC banning him from the securities industry — for life. Henry tells Alex about the supreme shame of that moment, and about how he eventually started over by founding a new venture, Business Insider.

Alex Talks to a Wall Street Outcast

Business Wars brings you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights — or to ruin. Now playing: Death Row Records vs. Bad Boy Records. Subscribe and listen at wondery.fm/startup

Business Wars & The Rap Game’s Biggest Battle

For many businesses, it’s all about looking forward. New trends, new brands, new verticals. But Sharon Price John sees a different path: one that involves looking to the past. She has made a career of reinvigorating forgotten and failing brands, including Nerf, Stride Rite, and Barbie Fashions. But her career hasn’t been all success all the time. Alex talks to Sharon about a bet she made that went very wrong, and about her biggest turnaround yet, as the CEO and President of Build-a-Bear Workshop.

Alex Talks to a Turnaround Specialist

Before 1970, the most popular radio stations in the U.S were run by white people. But that all changed when Percy Sutton helped to form Inner City Broadcasting with the mission of putting black programming in the hands of black people. Together he and his son Pierre—and later Pierre’s daughter, Keisha—built a radio empire. But it was about more than just entertaining listeners; together they changed the culture and radically influenced how radio stations and record labels treated black artists. Alex talks with Pierre and Keisha about the unlikely rise—and heartbreaking fall—of their family business.

Alex Talks to the Family Behind A Radio Revolution

Gimlet has a new show called Without Fail where Alex talks to all kinds of people — including entrepreneurs and business people — about their successes and their failures and what they’ve learned from both.
We think these conversations are ones that StartUp listeners would enjoy, so we're bringing them to you here.
Director and screenwriter Sam Esmail’s TV series Mr. Robot was an immediate hit when it premiered in 2015, turning him into one of the most in-demand showrunners in Hollywood. But he didn’t have an easy path to that point. Sam was 38 by the time Mr. Robot launched. He’d worked all kinds of jobs -- including a stint as a startup founder -- and seen all kinds of setbacks. Sam tells Alex about the stuff that came before, and about why he couldn’t quit trying to make movies, even when success was a long way off.

Alex Talks to Sam Esmail

The first episode of Gimlet’s latest release: Conviction. This investigative series explores the dark truths about the criminal justice system in America and the developing case of Pedro Hernandez. Pedro’s case has gained national attention as an egregious example of systemic police corruption and the failings of the American justice system. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to two complex men: private investigator Manny Gomez and NYPD Detective David Terrell, who are fighting each other in the courts and on the streets, all while claiming to be protecting the innocent and pursuing justice. All episodes available now for free, wherever you get your podcasts.

Introducing Conviction — Part One: The Private Eye

Eva Moskowitz calls Success Academy's high school the startup within the startup. And, as at any startup, there’s been a lot of chaos in its first few years. Magic five--it’s no longer working. The kids are questioning authority. Teachers are leaving. And parents want answers. But this year also marks Success Academy’s first graduating class. We’ll find out if Eva’s grand experiment comes with a big collegiate payoff.

Success Academy 7: The High School

Over the years, Success Academy has faced many existential threats. Eva has had to battle the most powerful man in New York City to fight for space for her schools. She has also had to defend her organization when a controversial video featuring a Success teacher was leaked to the New York Times. Today on the show, we watch Eva battle these setbacks, meeting both with a single-minded defense.

Success Academy 6: The Fights

It’s no mystery that Success Academy has high expectations — not just for its teachers, but also for its parents and students. Having a high bar is the key to Success’ amazing results. But the charter network’s expectations can make life hard for families and kids who don’t quite make the mark. In this episode, we will hear from two families who ran headlong into Success Academy’s high expectations.
-- 
Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Lisa and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan.

Success Academy 5: Expectations

Success Academy has grown quickly — in just 12 years, the network has gone from one school in Harlem to 47 schools across New York City. In order to do this, Success has had to hire many inexperienced teachers, and move them up the ranks quickly. 
Amidst all this growth, there is a lot of pressure on the staff to continue performing at incredibly high levels. And Success has managed to keep crushing the state tests. 
In episode 4 of the series, we examine how growth has changed Success for better, and for worse.
--
Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Lisa and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan.

Success Academy 4: Growth

Success Academy’s state test results are truly remarkable — their students score in the top one percent in New York State, often beating out kids from the wealthiest districts. And the network's reputation is built on these results — it’s a big part of how they attract new students, win over donors, and get approval to open school after school.
To find out how Success gets these scores, we go inside their test-taking machine. There are puppies and toys, “pump-up” songs, and a crazy event at the 19,000-seat Barclays Center called Slam the Exam. And, of course, there’s lots of test prep. We’ll hear from students and teachers who’ve grown skeptical of all the time devoted to getting good scores. We’ll see how significant passing the state test can be for a student who’s struggled. And we’ll hear Eva Moskowitz defend her school’s intense focus on test prep, which she prefers to call “mastery.”

Success Academy 3: The Test

Eva Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Success Academy, the highest performing and most controversial charter school network in New York City, and the subject of this season of StartUp. To understand Success, you have to understand Eva.
So on this episode, we go back to the beginning, looking at what got Eva interested in education in the first place, seeing the battles she fought on her way to starting Success, and watching as she opens her first schools. She cut her teeth serving on the New York City Council as chair of its Education Committee. In 2003, she did the unthinkable for a Democratic politician: she challenged the teachers’ union. The war that ensued would include protests outside her schools, parents opposing Success at local hearings, and a newly elected mayor trying to shut her down. Eva’s instinct to fight has helped keep Success Academy growing, but it has also made her a lot of enemies.

Success Academy 2: The Founder

The Story: 
Eva Moskowitz wants to fix a really big problem. There are over a million kids in New York City’s public schools. Most can’t read or do math at grade level. Many won’t graduate on time. And it’s largely poor, black and brown kids who are stuck in the lowest performing schools. Eva’s the founder and CEO of Success Academy, the subject of this season of StartUp. And she’s actually making progress. 
Her school network is growing at lightning speed, and her students get among the highest standardized-test scores in the city, beating out schools in some of the wealthiest districts. And the education world is watching. But not everyone likes what they see. In this season, we ask how exactly Success is doing what it’s doing, and why does it have so many critics?
Today, on the first of our six-part series about Success, we meet a mother, Sherisse, who desperately wants her son to get into Success, so that he can have opportunities she never had herself. And we go inside a Success classroom on the first day of school, to see what parents like Sherisse are clamoring for.
The Facts:
Peter Leonard mixed the episode. Our theme song is by Mark Philips, remixed by Bobby Lord. Build Buildings wrote and performed our special ad music. Additional music by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord, Hot Moms Dot Gov, Jupyter, Mothica,Golden Gram and BlueDot.
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Success Academy 1: The Problem

Alex Blumberg sits down with the stars of the Homecoming  TV show-- Julia Roberts and Stephan James, and director Sam Esmail-- to talk about how they came to the project and what it was like to film it.
This is the final part of a four-part mini-series on the making of the Homecoming TV show.
Want more StartUp? Check out our newsletter! You can sign up at: gimletmedia.com/newsletter.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Making a TV Series 4: The Stars of Homecoming

Being in charge of a big-budget TV production means having to make decisions. It's a new kind of power for Micah and Eli, and one that's sometimes uncomfortable to exercise. The words they write have real-world, three-dimensional—and sometimes winged—consequences.
This is the third part of a four-part mini-series on the making of the Homecoming TV show.
Want more StartUp? Check out our newsletter! You can sign up at: gimletmedia.com/newsletter.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Making a TV Series 3: The Bird That Launched 1000 Ships

Micah and Eli get to work, writing the scripts for the Homecoming TV show. But taking something meant only for the ear, and turning it into something for the eye... proves to be deceptively challenging. Plus, Alex visits the set of the show, to meet the small army of people actually building the visual world of Homecoming. 
This is the second part of a four-part mini-series on the making of the Homecoming TV show.
Want more StartUp? Check out our newsletter! You can sign up at: gimletmedia.com/newsletter.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Making a TV Series 2: Santa's Hollywood Workshop

Two years ago, Gimlet released its first fiction podcast: Homecoming. Now, this November, a television series based on the hit podcast and starring Julia Roberts is launching.  
Alex Blumberg was behind the scenes as Homecoming went from podcast to TV production. In this first episode, Homecoming creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg recount the journey, from concept to podcast to pitching the show to bigtime Hollywood producers. And we hear from some of the celebrities they met along the way.
This is the first part of a four-part mini-series on the making of the Homecoming TV show.
Want more StartUp? Check out our newsletter! You can sign up at: gimletmedia.com/newsletter.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Making a TV Series 1: A Complete Moonshot

The Story:Alex is back in the host’s chair to introduce a new show from Gimlet - his own! It's an interview show called Without Fail where Alex talks to people who have made a big bet and either won or lost.When Andrew Mason started Groupon 10 years ago he was in his mid-20s, fresh out of grad school, and running a company for the first time ever. Within 2 years Groupon was called the fastest growing company in history. And then just as rapidly. And just as dramatically. Its fortunes changed. This dream rise, the nightmare fall, all in this incredibly short time-span - it’s like a startup fable. But it actually happened. To a real guy! In part one of this two-part conversation, Andrew talks with Alex about Groupon’s rise. How it started as a website designed for something completely different, what it felt like when it finally caught on and started to grow, and Andrew’s own conflicted feelings about being a CEO. The Facts:Peter Leonard mixed the episode. Theme music by Bobby Lord. For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers 

Without Fail - Groupon's Andrew Mason, pt. 1

The Story:Alex is back in the host’s chair today to introduce a new show from Gimlet - his own! It's an interview show called Without Fail where he talks to people who have made a big bet and either won.. or lost.When Sophia Amoruso started selling vintage clothing on eBay from her tiny San Francisco apartment, she had no idea that one day she would be at the helm of a fashion brand valued at 350 million dollars. And once venture capital came into play, it seemed the sky was the limit for Sophia and her company Nasty Gal. Find out how Sophia went from bankrolled to bankrupt—and what she's doing differently with her new company, Girlboss.The Facts:This episode was mixed by Peter Leonard. Theme and ad music by Bobby Lord. For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers 

Introducing Without Fail - Sophia Amoruso: From Nasty Gal to Girlboss

The Story:
At the end of the last episode, co-founders Justin, Emmett, Michael, and Kyle had a big problem on their hands. Streaming Justin's life 24/7—the very idea their company was founded on—turned out to be kind of boring. Pretty soon people stopped watching. In this episode, the four friends try desperately to extend the life of their company by making some risky but important decisions. In the process, their scrappy startup catches the eye of some very powerful people who challenge everything they’ve built. The road of a startup is a bumpy one and, as Justin and his team are finding out, they have only just gotten started. 
This is the second part of a two-part story that originally aired in April of 2016. Listen to Part 1 https://gimlet.media/2N80DUE.   
The Facts:
Matthew Boll and Peter Leonard mixed the episode. Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips. The special ad music, Microliters, was written and performed by Build Buildings. Additional music by Kevin Sparks and the band hotmoms.gov. For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Twitch 2: Gaming The System

The Story: 

A group of friends moves across the country to launch an unlikely website that they think could replace television. The media loves them. They just need to figure out how to get their users to feel the same way. 
This is part one of a two-part series that originally aired in April of 2016. 
The Facts:

Matthew Boll and Peter Leonard mixed the episode. Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips. For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Twitch 1: Almost Famous

The Story: 
In the evangelical world, there are very few female church planters. In 2012 only three percent of all conservative churches had women as lead pastors. In large part because one of their key theological beliefs is that women, according to the Bible, are not meant to lead churches. But there are other reasons too — maybe even bigger reasons. This is the story of one woman’s quest to do what all the boys were allowed to do… and how she tried to square what she wanted, with what lots of others said that God wanted. 
This is the sixth and final episode in our series on church planting. 
The Facts:

Peter Leonard mixed the episode. Build Buildings wrote and performed our special ad music. Additional music by Haley Shaw.
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Church Planting 6: The Woman At The Pulpit

This is our fifth and final episode following pastor AJ Smith, who has been trying to grow a new church in Philadelphia. It’s a process that has come with all sorts of existential problems, but also… some very practical ones. In order for Restoration Church to become self-sustaining, it needed to double in size by the end of the year. We’re now half-way through that year and the big question is, how close are they? 
To cope with the stress of starting a church from scratch, and to seek clarity on how to move forward, AJ takes a trip into the woods with reporter Eric Mennel.
But over the course of the day, Eric finds himself reflecting on his own relationship with God, confronting a question he has been trying to avoid for months: Why has he stopped going to church?
Hear about the future for Restoration, and a bit about Eric’s fraught relationship with faith, in the fifth episode of our series.

Church Planting 5: The Retreat

Hell, homosexuality, and the role of women in church — these are some of the most sensitive topics in Christian theology today. And the implications are huge: where an individual church stands on these issues can have a major effect on who does or does not attend, and … who gives money.
A common critique of church plants is that they present as progressive, but at their core, many still hold very conservative beliefs. People can attend for months or even years without understanding where their church falls on topics like gay marriage or the ordination of women. So on this week’s episode, we sit down with pastor AJ Smith and ask the tough questions.
This is the fourth episode in our series.

Church Planting 4: The Conversation

In the world of church planting, every Sunday counts… but there are a couple Sundays each year that can truly change the fate of a church. One of them: Easter. If you want to grab somebody who is open to church, but for whatever reason isn’t going, Easter is the time to do it. AJ and Leah need to double the size of Restoration by the end of this year, so they need this day to go well. They don’t have a fancy egg dropping helicopter or an egg shooting cannon like some churches do, but they do have a plan… one that involves 100 frozen chickens. In this week’s episode, we follow AJ and Leah as they give everything they’ve got to make their plan work.
This is the third episode in our series on Church Planting. Listen to the first episode here.

Church Planting 3: The Paradox

It takes more than just a calling to start a church. You need a following. You need money. And to get that money, pastors often have to pass a kind of test.  Welcome to the wild world of assessment. 
There’s  whole industry of professional assessors who use psychological tests, behavioral interviews, role-playing scenarios and more, to try to determine if a pastor will be able to create a successful church. In this week’s episode, AJ goes to assessment camp — but he doesn’t go alone. Spouses are required to get assessed too. Just imagine an intense round of couples therapy, but as part of your job interview. That’s what assessment can feel like. 
This is the second episode in our series on Church Planting. Listen to the first episode here.

Church Planting 2: The Pastor

Every year, there’s a movement of thousands of pastors starting new churches — they call them church plants. It’s a world remarkably parallel to the tech industry, with incubators, growth metrics and, well, angel investors. One of these pastors, Watson Jones III, has dreams of starting a bustling new church in North Philly. But first, he has to figure out how to get people to show up. Watson might have the most difficult task of any founder in America: Convincing people who don’t know -- or even believe -- in God to change their minds and join his church. 
Reporter Eric Mennel tells the story of this young church plant in a new multi-part series from StartUp. Listen now to the first episode. 
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Church Planting 1: The Movement

For the last six months at StartUp, we have been following a group of pastors and their families who’ve shown us what it’s really like to start a church in modern America. It’s a movement of people trying to disrupt one of the oldest, most bureaucratic institutions in history: The Christian church. Here’s a sneak peek.

Introducing Church Planters

For seven months, Arlan Hamilton agreed to let StartUp reporter Amy Standen follow her around with a microphone and ask her all kinds of questions — from how much money she had raised for her venture capital firm, Backstage Capital, to where she slept when she couldn’t afford a place to live. Like many reporter-interviewee relationships, Arlan and Amy’s was complicated. At GimletFest, the two of them sat down to talk it out. Shereen Marisol Meraji, from NPR’s Code Switch podcast on race and identity, moderated the conversation.

BONUS: Behind The Scenes With Arlan & Amy

In our final episode of the series, Arlan is on a roll. She’s making new investments, raising her profile in the VC world, and bringing new people into her network. Some of her founders tell us why they really wanted investment from Backstage. And Arlan makes a surprise announcement that surprises her peers in Venture Capital.
This is the final episode in our six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital. Listen from the very beginning here.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Arlan Hamilton 6: Going Rogue

In this week’s episode, Arlan tries to maintain control as investments fall through, she butts heads with a prominent investing platform, and we meet the Thelma to her Louise.
This is the fifth episode in a six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital. 
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To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Arlan Hamilton 5: Control

Arlan has only a few months left before her cash runs out out when a seemingly perfect opportunity comes along. Is it too good to be true? Also, we take a look at Arlan's past as an entrepreneur, before she became a venture capitalist. What did she learn? And can she avoid making the same mistakes?
This is the fourth episode in a six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital. 
Want more StartUp? Check out our newsletter! You can sign up at: gimletmedia.com/newsletter. 
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Arlan Hamilton 4: Hacks

Like most venture capitalists, Arlan Hamilton plans to find the next billion dollar company by pattern matching—that's when VCs look to entrepreneurs who've been successful in the past and pick founders that match those qualities. Most VCs pattern match for people like Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos, but Arlan pattern matches for something different. 
How does Arlan predict who will be successful? And does she have the runway to prove out her theory?
This is the third episode in a six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital.

Arlan Hamilton 3: Picking Winners

In this week’s episode we dive into what Silicon Valley considers “hustle” and how it may need to update its definition. We also find out how Arlan first got into venture capital—after months of sleeping on the floor at San Francisco International Airport. Plus, meet one venture capitalist who really gets Arlan’s goat.
This is the second episode in a six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital. 
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Arlan Hamilton 2: The Hustle

Silicon Valley is leaving money on the table, and Arlan Hamilton will go to extremes to prove it. She's a venture capitalist like no other — black, female, gay — and she's out to prove that investors in the Valley are overlooking big returns they could tap into by investing in more outsiders. Arlan calls them "underestimated" founders, and she's planning to get as rich as Richard Branson by investing in them. But her thesis is still untested, and she's running out of time to show Silicon Valley what she's got.
This is the first part of a six-part series on Arlan Hamilton and her company, Backstage Capital.

Arlan Hamilton 1: Silicon Valley, By Invite Only

What's it like having Zach Braff play you on TV? Alex gets to ponder that question with the man himself on stage at NYC Podfest. They also talk about Chris Sacca, swearing on podcasts, and crying at work in a conversation moderated by StartUp co-host Lisa Chow.
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 7: Alex Talks To Zach Braff

Season 7 of StartUp is almost here! On April 27th, we’re taking you into the world of venture capital with Silicon Valley’s most unlikely power broker: Arlan Hamilton.  
Here’s a sneak peek of our story.
And are you looking for more Gimlet in your life? Then click here to view our guide to other Gimlet shows coming this spring.

Introducing Season 7

Gimlet co-founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber are pretty much on the same page… right? 
This week, we put their relationship to the test. Producer Luke Malone got Matt and Alex into separate studios and asked them the same set of questions. Then, Matt and Alex listened back to each other’s answers and find out if they’re really as in sync as they thought. Do the same things keep them up at night? Do they want the same things for the company? And what were their first impressions of one another? 
To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/oursponsors

Alex, Inc. 6: Alex and Matt Pop Quiz

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The fifth is: Diversity Report.
If you were to walk into Gimlet HQ in 2015, there’s something you’d notice right off the bat. It was very white. In this episode, Alex talks to his coworkers about diversity at Gimlet—what it means, and what the company can do to improve moving forward. In the after show, Alex and Matt give the back story on how it came to be that they now have some big names playing them on TV. (Yes that rhymes.)
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 5: Alex And Matt, Inc.

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The fourth is: We Made a Mistake.
Gimlet Media makes a mistake—one that plunges the young company into the center of an internet controversy. In the after show, Alex takes one last listener call, and is challenged by one of his producers.
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 4: Training Day

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The third is: How to Name Your Company.
Alex and Matt need a company name. But finding one they both like proves to be a challenge. In this after show, Alex takes a listener question about naming the company.
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 3: The Name Game

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The second is: How to Divide an Imaginary Pie.
Alex decides that he can't build the company by himself, so he links up with co-founder Matt Lieber. But before Alex and Matt can lock in their partnership, they need to discuss one pesky little detail… equity. In the after show, Alex takes a listener call and they discuss the tricky business of splitting equity. 
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 2: Alex Talks Equity

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our listeners. The first is: How Not to Pitch a Billionaire.
In this episode, Alex explains how he got the idea to document the start of his own company. He talks with his wife Nazanin about what shoes to wear to his first investor pitch. And then, there’s that… infamous first pitch to Chris Sacca. In the after show Alex talks to Chris Sacca about his experience appearing on Alex, Inc.
For a list of our sponsors and show related offer codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

Alex, Inc. 1: Sacca Plays Sacca

All this week we’ve been following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.
It’s Friday, the fifth and final day of StartupBus. By the end of today, one company will be crowned the winner of the competition. But before the final pitches take place, a mysterious opponent emerges to challenge the five finalists.

StartupBus 5: Friday

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.
It’s Thursday, day four on StartupBus. The bus has finally arrived in New Orleans, where teams from all six buses will go up against one another and pitch for a spot in the finals. By the end of the day, only five teams will be left standing. And a behind-the-scenes look at the judging process raises some concerns for reporter Eric Mennel.

StartupBus 4: Thursday

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.
It’s Wednesday, day three on StartupBus. Teams have just 24 hours left to refine their pitches before the competition begins. And reporter Eric Mennel sits down with some of the bus riders to learn more about why they signed up for this unusual hackathon in the first place.

StartupBus 3: Wednesday

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all while on a bus. If you haven’t heard Monday’s episode, start there.
It’s Tuesday, day two on StartupBus. Now that teams have settled on ideas for their companies, it’s time to start building. But when tension runs high, one company considers kicking one of their own members off the team.

StartupBus 2: Tuesday

This summer, 20 strangers got on a bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For five days, they had one goal: to build and launch companies while on the bus. We’ll be telling this story as it unfolded — with one new episode, every day, over the next five days.
Today’s episode: Monday. Day One.

StartupBus 1: Monday

This past summer, 20 strangers got on a charter bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For three days they had one goal: Build and launch companies from inside the bus. And then? Compete against each other.
Reporter Eric Mennel documented it all. And next week, it drops as a five-day, in-real-time miniseries.

Introducing StartupBus

Alex is back in the host’s chair today to introduce Gimlet’s first kid’s show—Story Pirates. It’s a podcast where actors, musicians, and comedians turn stories written by kids into hilarious plays and songs.Alex talked with co-host Lee Overtree about the process of making the Story Pirates podcast, and the amazing, wacky ideas that children come up with. And gather your kids: After the chat, we’ll be playing one of our favorite episodes of Story Pirates.

BONUS: Introducing Story Pirates

When a group of college kids in Florida set out to change the music industry, they did not anticipate how disruptive they would be. Their mission was a noble one: bring an end to online piracy by offering cheap, convenient, and legal access to music. Their execution, however, was less than thorough. And when you’re dealing with protective music labels, forgetting to dot an “i” or cross a “t” can mean being one lawsuit away from the swift and unceremonious collapse of your company.
This is the story of Grooveshark, the people who built it, and the relationships that were tested during its rocky road to growth—and its eventual demise.

Dear Music Fans… (REBROADCAST)

On the last episode of StartUp, we followed the government-sponsored desert race that launched the self-driving car industry. This week, we see what the industry looks like today. You’ve probably heard that Google, Uber, and Tesla are pumping resources into developing autonomous vehicles. But there are plenty of smaller, younger companies in the space. What are they doing to keep up with the major players?

Driverless Cars 2: The Race for a Self-Driving Future

In 2004, the U.S. government held a race unlike anything that had come before it. It was called the DARPA Grand Challenge, and it followed a 150-mile route through the rugged Mojave Desert. 
The participants were cars, trucks, ATVs, and one motorcycle. The catch? Each vehicle was required to drive itself—no remote control, no human intervention. Dozens of engineers and robot enthusiasts worked relentlessly to make it happen. The Carnegie Mellon team was a favorite, but every team faced hurdles—from smashed sensors and exploding toilets to poorly placed tumbleweeds. Was the Grand Challenge too grand for its time?

Driverless Cars 1: The Grand Challenge

Kik, a chat app popular with teenagers, launched in 2010. Users flocked to it, and within a few years it was valued at a billion dollars. Then a new competitor came on the chat scene: Facebook. When Kik started struggling to grow their revenue and find new investors, they landed on a wild new idea. Now they’re betting their company’s future on creating their own cryptocurrency.
Listen to Gimlet's newest podcast, Uncivil, wherever you get your podcasts
Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Pocketcasts

New Money

Earlier this year, we asked listeners to call us with questions for Gimlet Founder Alex Blumberg. Alex answered a bunch of them in an episode last season. But one caller’s question was so big, it needed its own episode. Skyler Gronholz had decided to make a podcast about starting up his life again after several years in prison. But he was anxious about making something bad, and wanted Alex’s advice. In this week’s episode, we find out: can making a podcast about your life actually change the way you live it?
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If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a number you can call. 1-800-662-HELP. That hotline gives referrals to local treatment facilities and support groups. And it is completely free and confidential.

Just Hit Record

China is on a mission to upgrade its international reputation. The government doesn’t want people to see the country as just the world’s factory for socks and toys and cell phones. It wants people around the globe to think China is cool. And it’s tried a bunch of different things to do that, including building a global pop star. But can China change its image through the power of pop music?

Make China Cool Again

Lisa Chow and Alex Blumberg sit down together to talk about the future of StartUp.
And, we introduce you to Gimlet Media's newest podcast The Nod. Co-hosted by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, The Nod celebrates and explores the multitudes of Black culture and Black life. For more information, visit gimletmedia.com/thenod.

BONUS: An Announcement From StartUp and Introducing The Nod

Jasen Yang gave up the security of a high-paying Wall Street job to launch his company, Polly Portfolio. It’s been three years since then, and Jasen still isn’t taking a salary. It’s put a lot of strain on his family, and made it difficult for Jasen and his wife, Lynn, to make important decisions about their future. So we brought in executive coach Jerry Colonna, who helped Jasen find the unlikely source of his anxiety.

Sell the Apartment, Keep the Startup

Gary Kremen owned one of the most valuable domain names in the history of the internet. And then one day, he lost it in the most unusual way. For years, Gary fought to win back his domain “sex dot com." The legal battle transformed the way the courts treat virtual property. But in the end, was his lengthy and expensive crusade worth it?

Domains 2: Sex Dot Con

StartUp is back for a brand new season, and we're kicking things off with a story about the competitive world of domains.
Reporter Amy Standen brings us the story of Rick Schwartz, who earned the title “Domain King” by building a portfolio of dot com web addresses worth millions. But why is a “.com” address worth so much in the first place? And why doesn’t Gimlet own “gimlet.com”?
And coming up this season, we'll hear from startups in unexpected places.  We'll go to the Mojave Desert for a self-driving car race, we'll take you on a cross-country bus ride for a hackathon on wheels, and we'll head to China to track their growing pop music scene.

Domains 1: The .com King

StartUp returns September 1st with a brand new season. Here's a preview of what's coming up in Season 6.
And are you looking for more Gimlet in your life? Then click here to view our guide to other Gimlet shows returning this fall.

Introducing Season 6

On this episode of StartUp, we're introducing you to a new show from Gimlet Media. It's called Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty. The show charts the career of the hip hop executive, from young hustler in the Bronx, to one of the most powerful men in the music industry.

BONUS: Check Out Mogul

Concussions have cast a major shadow over contact sports, from youth leagues to the pros. But entrepreneur Anthony Gonzales thinks he can fix it by putting a gadget in the mouths of athletes. Now he just has to convince investors to put their dollars behind his idea.Our Sponsors: Trunk Club | Virgin Atlantic

BONUS: Check Out The Pitch

Mokhtar Alkhanshali is trying to produce the perfect cup of coffee. And he’s trying to do it with beans grown in the midst of an active war zone in Yemen. Despite those challenges, his company’s first batch earned rave reviews, and sold for $16 a cup at one of the fanciest coffee chains around. But can he turn that early success into a profitable business, or will the challenges of trying to achieve perfection using a supply chain that starts halfway around the world do his young company in?

Building The Perfect Cup of Coffee

You called with your questions. Alex Blumberg has your answers—about growth, diversity at Gimlet and, oh yeah, that ABC sitcom that’s currently being made about the first season of StartUp.

Gimlet 24: Ask Alex

Mason Gordon’s dream is to create a new global team sport, something that hasn’t happened since basketball came on the scene in the 1890s. But Mason is determined. He invented Slamball—an amped up combination of basketball and football that’s played on trampolines—nearly twenty years ago. He had some splashy early success and got two seasons on TV. And then Slamball seemingly disappeared. But Mason is still at it, and now Slamball is surging in popularity on the other side of the globe.

How To Invent A New Sport

Jason from Bento started a business that prepared and delivered pan-Asian meals on demand. Lauren and Emma from Dating Ring wanted to reinvent online dating. Mary from Saint Harridan made sharp suits for masculine women and trans men. And Mike moved food across international borders, evading employees of a large grocery store chain. This episode, we return to some of the companies we followed in previous seasons and find out how their founders are doing—and what the label “entrepreneur” means to them now.