E186: Unlocking Your Unstructured Data with Typedef

E186: Unlocking Your Unstructured Data with Typedef

Author: Robby (MTF); Tim (Essence VC) November 20, 2025 Duration: 42:05

In our latest episode, our co-hosts Robby and Tim talk with Yoni Michael and Kostas Pardalis, Co-Founders of Typedef. Both have deep backgrounds in data infrastructure (Starburst, Tecton, etc.) and, after meeting through a "blind date" at Blue Bottle Coffee, decided to team up to address the growing brittleness of large-scale data pipelines - issues made worse by the rise of AI.

They explain how traditional systems like Spark weren’t designed for today’s AI workloads, especially unstructured data and LLM inference. Fenic was their answer: an open-source engine and DataFrame library built specifically for LLM workflows, multi-step reasoning, and agentic systems - without the operational complexity.

Their biggest lessons: start GTM early, talk to as many data leaders as possible, and keep validating - insights that led directly to open-sourcing Fenic and building its MCP-powered developer experience.


Building a company around open source software is a unique and often misunderstood path, full of specific challenges and rare opportunities. The Open Source Startup Podcast digs into that journey directly with the people who have navigated it, moving beyond theory to the practical realities shared in conversation. Hosts Robby and Tim bring their distinct perspectives from MTF and Essence VC to these discussions, creating a space where founders speak candidly. You’ll hear from the architects behind names like HashiCorp, MongoDB, and Vercel, as well as leaders from Chronosphere, DBT, and mobile.dev, as they unpack their experiences. This podcast focuses on the pivotal decisions around community building, monetization strategies, and maintaining project ethos under the pressures of scaling a business. Each episode serves as a detailed case study, revealing how these companies turned publicly available code into sustainable, impactful enterprises. The dialogue naturally explores the tensions between open collaboration and commercial needs, offering a real-world blueprint that is both instructive and nuanced. For anyone curious about the intersection of community-driven development and venture-scale growth, this series provides an essential and unfiltered resource.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Open Source Startup Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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