The Way In dives into the choices, risks, and lessons behind building a business. Each week, founders and small business owners share how they carved their own path. Season 1 featured 23 entrepreneurs. Now on Season 2.
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
31%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchThe Way In dives into the choices, risks, and lessons behind building a business. Each week, founders and small business owners share how they carved their own path. Season 1 featured 23 entrepreneurs. Now on Season 2.
The Way In is hosted by Shijia Mao. The show has published 34 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Prue @ New New Patch: Making Repair Easier Than Buying New" (16 October 2026, 42 minutes), "Tim @ Bonsai Bar: Growing the Economy Around a Niche Hobby" (2 October 2026, 54 minutes), and "Tiffany @ FinFast: Can AI Make Sense of the Noise in Economic Research?" (28 September 2026, 28 minutes).
The Way In publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 33 minutes across 34 episodes.
Booking probability for The Way In is 31%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Way In requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Way In's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for The Way In are Business & Management Consulting and Photography, Polling & Other Services. The Way In has a business audience.
Shijia Mao hosts The Way In, a business show with 34 episodes published.
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Episode #11
New New Patch was named in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 Special Mentions . Prue spent 18 years in product marketing before becoming a founder herself. New New Patch started with a very ordinary parenting problem: what...
Episode #12
Tim, founder of Bonsai Bar, discovered bonsai while working in software and eventually started wondering not just how he could make a living from bonsai, but how he could help grow the economy around the hobby. That...
Episode #9
AI tools for investment research have exploded over the past year, but more information doesn't necessarily make research easier. In fact, it can make it harder to know what to pay attention to. In this episode, I talk...
Episode #8
Natasa Tuohy grew up in Yugoslavia, moved to Florence at 19 to study architecture, and made her way to New York, where she spent nearly a decade working in architecture before starting her own studio in 2019. In this...
The Way In
In this episode, I’m joined by Kim, founder of Utopia Club, a private community for software founders making high-stakes decisions around entering and scaling in the U.S. market. Kim started her career as a fractional...
Episode #6
Sports gels are everywhere in North America, but in much of Asia, the bigger challenge isn't convincing someone to switch brands - it’s convincing them to use a gel in the first place. In this episode, I’m joined by...
The Way In
What does it actually take to build a jewelry business? She didn't start with Instagram. She didn't start with a consumer brand. She didn't chase trends. She didn't prioritize rapid scale. She didn't build a big team...
Episode #4
After more than a decade in product marketing, Maggie left her corporate career in November 2024 without even knowing the term “portfolio career.” She initially thought she was simply making a pivot into events. But as...
Episode #4
After more than a decade in product marketing, Maggie left her corporate career in November 2024 without even knowing the term “portfolio career.” She initially thought she was simply making a pivot into events. But as...
Episode #2
When Miles left a stable career in biotech, he wasn't chasing the next startup idea. Instead, he began serving free tea in New York City parks— no agenda, just an open space for strangers to slow down and connect. What...
Episode #1
In this episode, I sit down with Leeah, founder of Newberry Travel. After leaving a career in corporate sourcing, Leeah realized that just as every purchasing decision can shape a factory and its community, every travel...
Episode #23
<p>Ricky sold his first startup at 23. Instead of taking a break, he jumped straight into building <b>SourceReady</b>, an AI platform that helps companies source top products from global suppliers.</p><p></p><p>In this...
Episode #22
<p><b>In a beauty industry obsessed with greenwashing and Amazon scale, Kate Assaraf, founder and CEO of Dip, chose a different path.</b></p><p></p><p>In this episode of The Way In, Kate shares how she built a 7-figure...
Episode #21
<p>In this episode of The Way In, I speak with <b>JJ Ram, CTO and co-founder of Claim Health</b>, about his journey from a start-up bouncer to building an AI company for the $100B+ U.S. home health industry. JJ shares...
Episode #20
<p>In this episode of The Way In, I speak with Trevor, CTO of Olive Legal, about stepping into leadership at a company he didn’t start.</p><p></p><p>Trevor joined Olive Legal as the first engineering hire, drawn by the...
Episode #19
<p>In this episode of The Way In, I speak with Eric and Dev, the founder duo behind Marmalaide, a company using generative AI to create high-quality marketing content.</p><p></p><p>Eric shares his background as an...
Episode #18
<p>In this episode of The Way In, I speak with Sid Sridharan, co-founder and CEO of Spendflo, about the evolution of the company from SaaS spend management to an AI-native platform.</p><p></p><p>Sid shares lessons from...
Episode #17
<p>In this episode, Sol shares her personal journey with prenups and how Neptune is changing the narrative around these conversations. We discuss the lessons she learned from her first startup, the challenges couples...
Episode #16
<p>Brian, founder of Verteel, didn’t start out in tech - he started in the cockpit. </p><p>In this episode, Brian shares his journey from being a professional pilot to building a drone company focusing on transforming...
Episode #15
<p>In this episode, Maggi shares the journey behind Sumly, from its early prototype to its official launch after a year of development. During pilot testing, users saw an average savings of <b>$2,350</b>, a clear signal...
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