About this episode

This episode revisits key startup mistakes and lessons from founders, featuring candid stories and practical advice.

This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about startup mistakes, hard-earned lessons, and the decisions founders wish they’d made differently. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most insightful conversations from past seasons to explore the missteps that shaped successful companies. Guests share candid stories about chasing product-market fit, making hiring mistakes, navigating investor expectations, managing hypergrowth, building company infrastructure, and learning what really matters in the early days of a startup. In this episode, you’ll hear from: Deon Nicholas, cofounder & former CEO of Forethought AI and co-founder of Espa Labs Jasper Carmichael-Jack, cofounder & CEO of Artisan Yuri Sagalov, partner at General Catalyst Isaiah Granet, cofounder & CEO of Bland Ayal Yogev, founder & CEO of Anjuna Sarah Lucena, founder & CEO of Mappa Whether you’re building your first startup, hiring your early team, fundraising, or figuring out how to scale sustainably, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest reflections from founders and investors who learned these lessons the hard way…

Topics covered

• startup mistakes
• founder lessons
• product-market fit
• hiring mistakes
• investor expectations
• hypergrowth
• company infrastructure

More episodes of Build Mode

• Best of Build Mode: Scaling Company Culture · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
• Best of Build Mode: Cofounders, Conflict and Compatibility · May 28, 2026 · 21 min
• The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas · May 14, 2026 · 46 min

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