All content for The Exit Whisperer is the property of Carrie Kerpen 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.
In this raw and unfiltered interview, Sharmin Ali shares how a chance encounter on a flight changed her life forever. From joining a startup that became a unicorn to surviving a cardiac arrest at 32, she reveals what founders never talk about: burnout, bad investor deals, and the price of ambition.
02:00 India → U.S.: Chasing Google, choosing startups04:10 The plane pitch that changed everything06:00 Finding the superpower: sales, growth, Fortune 500s08:30 The $1M pharma pilot at age 2210:45 Rocket ship to unicorn—then time to leave13:20 First startup in India: OTT vision, ugly terms15:50 Eight-figure exit, expensive lessons16:40 Silicon Valley round two: Emotion AI begins19:30 Hustle highs, burnout signs21:10 $200M deal… then a cardiac arrest at 3223:15 “Get me out”: bad venture terms & hard exit25:40 Date your investors, lawyer up, founder gets $0 risk27:10 The 15-month rebuild: therapy, travel, book29:30 Startup #3: Video AI with better terms31:20 Sora’s shadow and a fast acquisition (Oct 2024)33:40 “Bitch, Stop, Please” — why founders must pause35:15 What’s next: content, LinkedIn, community37:00 Want an acquisition? Become attractive, not desperate38:30 Don’t raise just to be rich—entrepreneurship tradeoffs40:00 Founder mental-health playbook (therapist, oxygen mask)42:15 Final takeaways & sign-off
