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On Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies — and sanity— intact. Each season, Isabelle is joined by founders, investors, and operators to dig into specific aspect s of the startup journey, from creative go to market strategies to founder mental health. The interviews are full of candid startup wisdom—think cap table drama, co-founder breakups, and pivot panic. So , if you’re starting a company or or even just thinking about it, this is your survival guide.
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Verified email
Booking probability
36%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchOn Build Mode, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen cuts through the startup mythology to uncover how founders survive the brutal early days, navigate impossible funding landscapes, and somehow keep their companies, and sanity, intact.
Build Mode is hosted by TechCrunch. The show has published 242 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True Ventures' Puneet Agarwal" (9 October 2026, 57 minutes), "The Case for Crowdfunding Before Raising Venture Capital with Everette Taylor, Kickstarter" (1 October 2026, 36 minutes), and "How a first-time founder bootstrapped her way to a $47.5 Million Exit with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, FarboxRX" (24 September 2026, 44 minutes).
Build Mode publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 37 minutes across 242 episodes.
Booking probability for Build Mode is 36%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Build Mode requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Build Mode's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Build Mode are Business & Management Consulting and Investment Banking & Trading. Build Mode has a technology audience.
TechCrunch hosts Build Mode, a technology podcast with 242 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Build Mode
Venture capital is more concentrated than ever, making it increasingly difficult for early-stage founders to land their first check. So what does it actually take to stand out to investors? In this special bonus episode...
Episode #13
For years, crowdfunding had a reputation as the place founders went when they couldn’t raise venture capital. Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor thinks founders should look at it very differently. In this episode of Build...
Episode #12
Ashley Tyrner-Dolce spent more than a decade building FarmboxRx without taking a single dollar of venture capital and ultimately exited the company while still owning the majority of it. In this episode of Build Mode...
Build Mode
Building flying taxis takes billions of dollars. So instead of relying on traditional venture rounds, Archer Aviation went public just a few years after it was founded. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle...
Build Mode
Robotics is having an AI boom, but don’t expect it to have a ChatGPT moment. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Xavier Chi, co-founder of Mbodi, a startup building AI software that...
Episode #9
There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down...
Episode #8
Eventbrite has survived nearly every kind of challenge a startup can face: launching into a financial crisis, raising venture capital after 27 rejections, going public, watching its core business disappear during COVID...
Episode #7
Investors want founders who understand the financial reality of their business. Messy data, misunderstood metrics, or waiting until you’re nearly out of cash to start fundraising can cost founders leverage, valuation...
Episode #6
Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrictions, limited access to friends-and-family...
Episode #5
Setting up a sound legal foundation could be what saves a startup down the line. A missing founder vesting agreement, an unclear IP agreement, or a messy cap table can derail fundraising, spark co-founder disputes, or...
Episode #4
SeatGeek didn't become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the...
Episode #3
Building a great product is one thing. Getting a company like Nvidia to put its name behind it is something else entirely. In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down...
Episode #2
Building an AI startup is one thing. Raising one of the largest seed rounds of the year before launching a product is something else entirely. In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle...
Build Mode
Raising your first round has always been hard — but in today’s market, the rules are changing fast. In this episode of Build Mode, our host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Charles Hudson...
Episode #1
Startup fundraising is harder than ever, and Season 3 of Build Mode is here to help. Whether you're raising a seed round, preparing for Series A, pitching venture capital firms, negotiating a term sheet, or exploring...
Build Mode
<p>This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about company culture. Host Isabelle Johannesen and producer Maggie Nye revisit some of the most insightful conversations...
Episode #10
<p>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.</p> <p>Host...
Build Mode
<p>This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about effective partnerships, from cofounder relationships and team trust to investor dynamics and leadership...
Build Mode
This week on Build Mode, we’re diving back into the archives for a special best-of episode all about effective partnerships, from cofounder relationships and team trust to investor dynamics and leadership communication...
Build Mode
<p>This week we're sharing our very first episode with Deon Nicholas, the co-founder and CEO of Forethought AI. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In this episode, Nicholas shares how he built a company that puts customers (not hype)...
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