It probably doesn’t come as too big of a surprise that cowboy boots aren’t typically sold online. So where is the modern cowboy supposed to shop? This week we’re talking to a founder who carved out a DTC market for western wear. Paul Hedrick, the founder of Tecovas, joins Dom and Becca to discuss the marketing strategy they came up with to change the perception of shopping for cowboy boots online and how the company has expanded to brick and mortar stores.

In this conversation they cover:

• How social media played a big role in the early days of tecovas
• The challenges of modernizing such an old-school industry
• Fundraising when DTC was almost a dirty word.

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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This week on Found, we have an interview from TechCrunch's Strictly VC event in DC. Becca sat down with Steve Case, the founder of AOL to discuss policy, innovation, and AI. Case, now the founder of Revolution Ventures, told the live audience that open access not only helped his company back in the 90s but is also why the internet was able to progress in the way that it did. Regulators should aim for the same goal with AI policy despite the potential risks. He argues that opening up access to horizontal AI players like OpenAI and Google would also help expand AI away from being concentrated on the coasts.

(0:00) Introduction

(1:29) AI regulation compared to the internet’s early days

(6:20) Supporting AI startups outside the traditional hugs

(11:49) AI Policy and the innovation economy

(16:40) Entrepreneurship and job creation in the US

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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Many pots and pans on the market are coated in teflon, a poisonous chemical that can be harmful when it gets too hot. Luckily, there is an answer on the market — Caraway, a home goods brand that touts itself as being non-toxic but still high quality. Jordan Nathan founded the company after his own experience with Teflon poisoning that left him searching for a better — and healthier option. On this week’s episode of Found, Dom and Becca are joined by Nathan to discuss how he built a brand around aesthetically pleasing non-toxic home goods as we continue to dive into DTC companies.

In this conversation they discussed:

• Why being the last brand to fundraise can be a benefit to the company
• Sticking to the plan to bring Caraway to retail
• The product launch failure that almost killed the company before it started

(0:00) Introduction

(3:36) Creating non-toxic cookware

(7:31) Launching the brand

(13:05) Caraway Brand Strategy

(16:44) Expanding to new categories

(20:49) Influencer marketing

(25:25) Product launch failures

(29:20) Host discussion

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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There is estimated to be 40 million acres of lawn or turf grass in the U.S., making the grass in people's backyards one of the largest crops in the U.S. and yet lawn care products are full of harmful chemicals. So Coulter Lewis decided to start a sustainable lawn care company that will help people learn how to care for their grass in a way that’s good for the planet. Sunday is a DTC that allows consumers to sign up and send in a sample of the dirt from their lawn that is used to pick out what products someone needs and tell them how much and when they need them.

In this conversation they cover:

• How Coulters previous experience starting Quinn Snacks with his wife informed how he leads at Sunday
• The challenges and perks of building with family members
• Evolving the products from bespoke DTC offerings to general consumer in-store goods

(0:00) Introduction

(4:28) Creating personalize law care plans

(9:34) Launching DTC in this climate

(14:55) Expanding into new categories

(20:50) using data to improve products

(23:13) Building businesses with family

(28:06) Building the right team

(31:27) Regulation and expansion

(36:15) Host conversation

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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When someone starts two incredibly successful enterprise companies, they must really understand the issues enterprises face and how to solve them. This week on Found, Becca and Dom talk with Arvind Jain, the CEO and co-founder of Glean, an AI-powered work assistant that connects and understands enterprise knowledge. The idea for Glean was born out of Jain’s experience at his previous startup Rubrik.In this conversation they cover:

• How Jain knew it was time to start a new company and why it didn’t make sense to build Glean inside of Rubrik
• The importance of building a self-sufficient leadership team and the downside of micromanaging
• Why cybersecurity is top of mind when working with enterprise data at an AI company

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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Food is medicine. This week’s guest on Found is Ashely Tyrner, the CEO and founder of FarmboxRx which helps their customers manage their chronic diseases through bespoke grocery boxes In this episode, Becca, Dom, and Ashley get into the logistics of delivering fresh produce to their member and how they have become profitable while accepting SNAP/EBT and partnering with health plans.

In this conversation they cover:

• How Ashley’s experience living in a food desert inspired this company
• The struggle to fundraise despite growing and increasing revenue
• How the company is using behavioral science to help their members take actions that will improve their health.

(0:00) Introduction

(2:12) Food as medicine

(7:07) Grocery logistics with fresh produce

(9:27) Working with health plans

(15:13) Bootstrapping a capital-heavy business

(20:48) Distribution and logistics

(22:48) Ashley’s leadership style

(28:15) COvid’s impact on online grocery

(31:49) Fundraising challenges

(35:48) Host discussion

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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This week we're bringing you a conversation from our friends over at Equity. Alex Wilhelm caught up with EarlyDay’s two former CEOs, Emma Harris and Melissa Tran, and their new boss, Chris Bennett at Wonderschool, to chat through the deal, what’s ahead for their sector, and more.

Wonderschool is a startup that works with individuals and local governments to spin up more childcare businesses by providing software and other support and they have acquired EarlyDay. EarlyDay, another venture-backed startup, operates a early childhood educator marketplace.

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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Clinical trials are ongoing for the first long-lasting, reversible male birth control which is the first innovation in male birth control since the vasectomy hit the scene in 1897. This week’s Found guest is Kevin Eisenfrats, the co-founder and CEO of Contraline, a biotech company developing innovative methods to use hydrogel as a contraceptive. Contraline’s first product, ADAM, is what some are calling the first male IUD. The company will begin clinical trials in the U.S. very soon.

In this conversation they cover:

• The process of fundraising when you’re creating a completely new category
• Why the overturning of Roe V. Wade has led to increased interest in ADAM by men in the US
• The future of Contraline and other innovations that use hydrogels

(0:00) Introduction

(2:26) The challenges to male birth control

(6:53) Why hydrogel works

(9:35) Developing ADAM

(15:08) Cultural reaction to ADAM

(20:18) Entrepreneurship in medicine

(22:39) FDA approval process

(28:09) What’s next for Contraline

(34:23) Host conversation

Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcast: Equity . Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each

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