39 Best Podcasts for Founders to Listen to (2026)

Guy Raz interviews the world's best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds. New episodes release on Mondays and Thursdays. more

On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner). From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise. more

Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: 'There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone's accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time.' —Marc Andreessen more

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

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri brainstorm new business ideas based on trends & opportunities they see in the market. Sometimes they bring on famous guests to brainstorm with them. more

Where startup founders raise millions and listeners can invest.Host Josh Muccio takes listeners behind closed-doors and into the room where deals are made.Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. more

Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world's greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators. more

The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you'll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us. more

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC) interviews the world's greatest venture capitalists with prior guests including Sequoia's Doug Leone and Benchmark's Bill Gurley. Once per week, 20VC Host, Harry Stebbings is also joined by one of the great founders of our time with prior founder episodes from Spotify's Daniel Ek, Linkedin's Reid Hoffman, and Snowflake's Frank Slootman. If you would like to see more of The Twenty Minute VC (20VC), head to www.20vc.com for more information on the podcast, show notes, resources and more. more

Business tips for startups by proven entrepreneurs

'Founder's Story' by IBH Media isn't a business show. It's the conversation founders don't get to have anywhere else. Think 60 Minutes, but for entrepreneurs. We sit down with the most interesting people in business and go past the highlight reel, past the pitch, past the polished version they give every other podcast. We go into the mud with them. The 2 a.m. doubts. The bet that almost ended everything. The moment they wanted to quit and didn't. You'll hear from household names like Gary V, Codie Sanchez, Rob Dyrdek, and Tom Bilyeu, and just as often from founders you've never heard of who are building something the world needs to know about. Either way, the goal is the same: a real conversation that makes you laugh, makes you think, and sometimes catches you off guard with how much it makes you feel. This is where the story behind the success finally gets told. This is 'Founder's Story.' more

Grow your B2B or SaaS business by learning what took others years to figure out. Each guest brings one lesson that changed how they operate, and how it could change yours. Hosted by Wilhelm Laubach and Christian Rühringer. Watch our interviews on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@masterful-podcast Free B2B marketing course: https://masterfulseries.com Reach out anytime: https://masterful.info/contact more

A podcast for people working on startup ideas. We have 15-minute tactical episodes and occasional interviews with people who did the early things exceptionally well. We've helped launch hundreds of startups worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and these are the building blocks. 'This is, without a doubt, the best podcast for people trying to build startups out there.' 'If you aren't listening to this podcast and you're considering building a business (or you're already building one), what are you doing?' 'Must listen for first-time entrepreneurs - excellent storyteller.' more

The Official SaaStr Podcast is the latest and greatest from the world of SaaStr, interviewing the most prominent operators and investors to discover their tips, tactics and strategies to attain success in the fiercely competitive world of SaaS. On the side of the operators, we center around getting from $0 to $100m ARR faster, what it takes to scale successfully and what are the core elements of hiring. As for the investors, we learn what metrics they hone in on when examining SaaS business, what type of metrics excites them and what they look for in SaaS founders. more

It takes audacity to start a company, grit to grow it, and community to survive the ordeal. From the Ground Up features frank and unfiltered conversations—with some of the most successful founders in the world—about navigating the role of the founder, the tips and tricks entrepreneurs need to know to be successful, and the secrets that nobody really tells you before you start a business. more

Every founder has 1 goal: find product-market fit. We interview the world's most successful startup founders on the 0 to 1 part of their journeys. We've had the founders of Reddit, Gusto, Rappi, Glean, Cohere, Huntress, ID.me and many more. We go deep with entrepreneurs & VCs to provide detailed examples you can steal.  Our goal is to understand product-market fit better than anyone on the planet. Rated one of the world's top startup podcasts. more

Advice for founders and entrepreneurs who want to build disruptive startups like they do in Silicon Valley. Not another interview podcast: concrete tips and masterclasses on what founders need to know: raising Venture Capital, strategy, product, marketing, growth, and more. A guide to the unique mindset and approach that drives Silicon Valley style disruption. Hosts Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein share practical advice based on decades of experience at Google, Uber, and their own startups. more

A podcast for entrepreneurs who are looking to build & grow their startups. Avoid common traps & learn uncommon strategies & tactics from makers & doers of startup ecosystem. Prime Ventures is a early-stage venture fund which focuses on startups that not only need capital but also require mentoring to transform them into disruptive companies. We share a passion for working closely with entrepreneurs and enjoy sharing their journey in a high-frequency, interactive and fun environment.Read more about us at http://primevp.in more

Permission with Dr. Sherry Walling is a podcast for founders, entrepreneurs, leaders, and creatives who have done the therapy, read the books, and built the thing — and are now ready to stop living by rules they never agreed to. Hosted by clinical psychologist, entrepreneur, speaker and circus artist Dr. Sherry Walling, each episode is a permission slip: to work differently, rest deeply, love fully, change direction, and be more alive than your industry thinks is appropriate. Through honest conversations with founders, thinkers, and doers, Sherry goes where most business podcasts won't — into meaning and burnout, identity, pleasure, embodiment, grief, psychedelics, and the strange emptiness of getting everything you wanted and still feeling like something's missing. For anyone carrying the weight of the thing they built — and the people who love them. New episodes weekly. (Formerly ZenFounder.) more

On Startup Success, we discuss what's working right now for scaling founders and investors... You'll hear interviews with founders and investors who have compelling stories to share, new trends, and conversations from thought leaders and experts who have walked the walk. Each episode will dig into a crucial area of startup success: finance, entrepreneurship, fundraising, hiring, marketing, sales, and operations to help your startup or portfolio company scale. more

AI for Founders is where 47,000+ founders learn to build and scale with AI. Hosted by Ryan Estes, a Denver investor, creator, and founder, the show breaks down real strategies from top operators and AI visionaries. AI-ready data, zero-dependency workflows, founder-led distribution, and the tools driving revenue for today's fastest-growing companies. If you're a technical or non-technical founder who wants to work smarter, scale faster, and stay competitive, this podcast is your weekly unfair advantage. more

Founders who've scaled. Founders still striving.What could you achieve if you knew the secrets and strategies of the Founders who've already achieved scale? Join Sean Steele as he shares his insights from growing 4 companies by a total of 100m in revenue, interviewing Founders who've made it and learning from industry experts. The ScaleHQ Podcast is more about strategy and practical tools, than inspiration. more

Entrepreneurship isn't just a career—it's a relentless, all-consuming way of life.Welcome to Founder2Founder a raw and unfiltered podcast where host Aaron Spivak pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build something from the ground up. No sugarcoating, no overnight success stories—just deep, honest conversations with some of the most driven, underrated, and game-changing founders of our time. From brutal setbacks to game-changing mindset shifts, Aaron goes beyond the polished success stories to uncover the unglamorous, deeply personal side of building a business.As a seasoned entrepreneur himself, Aaron goes beneath the surface and gets into the nitty-gritty of what it truly takes to succeed. He'll dive into the habits, behaviors, and routines that set elite founders apart, the tactics and strategies that are working today, and the mindset shifts required to push through the hardest moments. Through raw personal stories, late-night struggles, and breakthrough moments, guests open up about what it really means to grow, not just as a founder, but as a person.Each week, Aaron sits down with visionary entrepreneurs from high-growth startup founders to seasoned CEOs, for real, unfiltered conversations about the highs, lows, and everything in between. Whether you're scaling a company, launching your first venture, or just looking for inspiration, this podcast will give you the insights, motivation, and real-world advice you won't get just anywhere. If you're ready to strip away the illusion and get real about what it means to build, sacrifice, and thrive, this is the podcast for you. Join us every Wednesday! more

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 to get articles, excerpts, transcripts and more. Fund/Build/Scale is a production of Truth and Soul Media LLC. more

Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast with host Greg Head for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies--without big funding. more

Heart-to-heart conversations for women building businesses with soul. Welcome to At Home with Founders, the podcast where real conversations meet the real work of building a business and life with intention. Hosted by Jessica Frigon, this space is designed for visionary women founders who crave depth, alignment, and meaningful insights beyond surface-level success. Every other Tuesday, Jessica shares thought-provoking solo reflections and raw, unfiltered conversations with founders and industry leaders navigating the highs, lows, and in-betweens of entrepreneurship. From the inner work of leadership to the operational strategies that sustain growth, each episode is an invitation to sit down, exhale, and explore what it truly means to build a business that works for you, one that aligns with your vision, values, and the life you're here to lead. This isn't just a business podcast - it's a HAVEN for founders who want to scale with intention, lead with clarity, and build a legacy with heart. Come for the strategy. Stay for the soul. Let's have a conversation. more

Most startup podcasts are built for founders who've already figured it out. This one's for the founder still in the middle of it.Startups Decoded covers the full founder operating system — from idea to Series A. Brand, fundraising, marketing, operations, finance, culture, storytelling. Everything a first-time founder needs to actually run the thing, not just pitch it.Host Andy Walsh has been in it — 4x founder, 2 exits, bootstrapped $10M ARR. He brings in founders and investors who've built real companies and gets them to talk honestly about how they did it.New episodes weekly. If you're drowning in decisions and need a framework, not a pep talk — this is your show. more

Each week we sit down with a different founder to talk shop. Get honest, insightful looks in to how other founders run their businesses. more

Founders, Investors & Operators features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders who share their insights, hard-earned lessons, and strategies for success. Whether you're building a company, funding the next big idea, or leading operations at a startup, this is your go-to resource for real-world advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and expert perspectives. more

Our mission is to bend the curve for Founders and CEOs.At Not Another CEO, we know there's no formula for running a business. Leadership is forged through unique journeys, real challenges, and hard lessons. Our exclusive content showcases unfiltered stories and practical guidance from those who've crawled through the trenches. Our platform offers the largest library of CEO insights and how-to guides, sourced directly from a diverse community of leaders.Find our full video library, detailed playbooks, deep dives, and lessons learned on our Substack here ➡️ https://notanotherceo.substack.com/ more

The leading podcast on how to build a successful open source company. Learn from the founders of HashiCorp, Chronosphere, Vercel, MongoDB, DBT, mobile.dev and more! more

Get inside the brains (and hearts) of local founders of some of the most successful business ventures in and around the nation's capital. What didn't happen? What did? What would they like a do-over on? What failures and flops led to something better than imagined? What's their next move? These candid conversations — led by entrepreneur and restaurateur Dan Simons — reveal the highs, lows and in-betweens that come with nurturing an idea and building it into a thriving enterprise. Our mission is to pay it forward to current and aspiring entrepreneurs by spotlighting the unique paths forged by founders who came before them.Brought to you by WTOP News more

On The Founders' Journey podcast, we explore the heart and soul of great founders and their journey to build the company of their dreams. Once a month in a 60-minute conversation, you will learn about emerging industries and innovative business models while discovering how to apply the founder's mindset to your everyday work and life. more

In this weekly series, fellow startup founders Immad Akhund (Mercury) and Rajat Suri (Presto, Lima, and Lyft) explore current events in the world of tech, startup, and policy, offering insights from their distinguished careers and an array of expert guests. YouTube: youtube.com/@FoundersInArms Substack: foundersinarms.substack.com Instagram: instagram.com/foundersinarms TikTok: tiktok.com/@foundersinarms_ more

The First Builders Podcast from The Council dives into the stories of those who go first—founders, funders, and early operators who helped build category-defining companies before they were household names. Hosted by General Partner Amber Illig and Partner Rachel Tsui, each episode brings a candid, practical conversation with someone who has helped shape companies before there was a playbook. more

Your go-to podcast for day zero founders, and early stage technology discussions. 🎙 Podcast for day zero tech founders Hosts: @mariarotilu + @yvonnebajela From idea to first product, first hires, investors, important tech discussions, and everything in between Our socials 👇🏽 Instagram: @thestartupleappod Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap Learn more on: www.thestartupleap.io Follow TSL and be notified when new episodes drop every Tuesday 🎙️ #thestartupleap #technology #entrepreneurship #business #startup #YvonneBajela #MariaRotilu more

Hosts Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are two high-performance coaches with a passion to position founders and business leaders to pursue the best version of themselves. This podcast provides a support system for those operating in the high-stakes world of business ownership and leadership through honest and vulnerable conversations about the areas you deal with most.   more

Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren't lucky… they're built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You'll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way.Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last.Ready to scale? Let's get to work. more

Conversations with founders, operators and investors who are building the future. Listen to find the stories, ideas, tactics & investments behind the products that will define the future of technology. https://startupproject.substack.com/ more