After working for years in early-stage startups and as a journalist, here are three hard truths I’ve learned:
1. Success in Silicon Valley hinges on connections, hard work and luck.
2. Startups often fail because founders lack fundamental business knowledge.
3. Real, actionable advice comes from those who’ve actually done it.
There’s no such thing as “founder DNA.” If you’re willing to take on risk and invest years of your life in something that has maybe a 10% chance of paying off — less if you’re a woman or person of color — you can be a startup founder.
Here’s why I founded Fund/Build/Scale:
1. To help founders make fewer mistakes.
2. To share successful strategies that can accelerate your go-to-market journey.
3. To inspire more people to see themselves as potential founders. There’s a lot of overlooked talent out there, and we are missing out.
This podcast is for anyone who’s interested in learning the basic skills required to launch a startup, secure initial funding and transform an idea into a sustainable business.
I’m talking to guests about everything: finding a co-founder, conducting customer discovery, recruiting early employees, developing a PLG strategy, fundraising when you’re outside a major tech hub — all of it.
Interested? Subscribe to Fund/Build/Scale on all major platforms and follow the podcast on LinkedIn or Substack to get articles, excerpts, transcripts and more.
All content for Fund/Build/Scale is the property of Walter Thompson and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
After working for years in early-stage startups and as a journalist, here are three hard truths I’ve learned:
1. Success in Silicon Valley hinges on connections, hard work and luck.
2. Startups often fail because founders lack fundamental business knowledge.
3. Real, actionable advice comes from those who’ve actually done it.
There’s no such thing as “founder DNA.” If you’re willing to take on risk and invest years of your life in something that has maybe a 10% chance of paying off — less if you’re a woman or person of color — you can be a startup founder.
Here’s why I founded Fund/Build/Scale:
1. To help founders make fewer mistakes.
2. To share successful strategies that can accelerate your go-to-market journey.
3. To inspire more people to see themselves as potential founders. There’s a lot of overlooked talent out there, and we are missing out.
This podcast is for anyone who’s interested in learning the basic skills required to launch a startup, secure initial funding and transform an idea into a sustainable business.
I’m talking to guests about everything: finding a co-founder, conducting customer discovery, recruiting early employees, developing a PLG strategy, fundraising when you’re outside a major tech hub — all of it.
Interested? Subscribe to Fund/Build/Scale on all major platforms and follow the podcast on LinkedIn or Substack to get articles, excerpts, transcripts and more.
The "Marionette Threat" of Generative AI with All Tech is Human’s David Polgar
Fund/Build/Scale
19 minutes
2 days ago
The "Marionette Threat" of Generative AI with All Tech is Human’s David Polgar
Today’s episode is something a little different.
I’m doing a feed swap with Humans of AI, a podcast from the team at Writer.
What you’re about to hear is their conversation with David Ryan Polgar, the Founder and President of All Tech Is Human, a leading organization in the Responsible Tech movement.
He’s a pioneer in tech ethics and responsible innovation, and someone who’s been thinking about the societal impact of AI long before it was mainstream.
If you’re building in AI, investing in it, or just trying to understand where this whole industry is headed, his perspective is a valuable counterweight to the hype cycles.
************
On this episode of Humans of AI, presented by Writer, we’re joined by David Polgar, founder of All Tech is Human, a non-profit and community dedicated to bringing together people, organizations, and ideas to grow and strengthen the Responsible Tech ecosystem. David shares some harrowing stories from the early days of social media that led him to where he is today – at the intersection of tech and human rights, AI and ethics. A lawyer and educator at the forefront of a movement “altering the DNA of tech development,” David is determined to create spaces and communities for human conversations and connections so that together we can shape the future of AI.
Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode!
Check out Writer’s Youtube channel to watch the full interviews.
Learn more about Writer at writer.com.
RUNTIME 19:50
LINKS
David Ryan Polgar
Humans of AI: Presented by Writer (podcast)
Navigating the ethical implications of generative AI with All Tech Is Human’s David Polgar (Writer blog)
Alaura Weaver
Communicating Your Vision with May Habib (CEO, Writer) and Gaurav Misra (CEO, Captions)
SUBSCRIBE
📥 Get the Fund/Build/Scale newsletter on Beehiiv: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7249143254363856897/
📸 Follow Fund/Build/Scale on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fundbuildscale/
Thanks for listening!
– Walter.
Fund/Build/Scale
After working for years in early-stage startups and as a journalist, here are three hard truths I’ve learned:
1. Success in Silicon Valley hinges on connections, hard work and luck.
2. Startups often fail because founders lack fundamental business knowledge.
3. Real, actionable advice comes from those who’ve actually done it.
There’s no such thing as “founder DNA.” If you’re willing to take on risk and invest years of your life in something that has maybe a 10% chance of paying off — less if you’re a woman or person of color — you can be a startup founder.
Here’s why I founded Fund/Build/Scale:
1. To help founders make fewer mistakes.
2. To share successful strategies that can accelerate your go-to-market journey.
3. To inspire more people to see themselves as potential founders. There’s a lot of overlooked talent out there, and we are missing out.
This podcast is for anyone who’s interested in learning the basic skills required to launch a startup, secure initial funding and transform an idea into a sustainable business.
I’m talking to guests about everything: finding a co-founder, conducting customer discovery, recruiting early employees, developing a PLG strategy, fundraising when you’re outside a major tech hub — all of it.
Interested? Subscribe to Fund/Build/Scale on all major platforms and follow the podcast on LinkedIn or Substack to get articles, excerpts, transcripts and more.
