A Founder Gets Candid​ About Fund​raising ​& What Fueled ​H​is Startup’s Success

A Founder Gets Candid​ About Fund​raising ​& What Fueled ​H​is Startup’s Success

Author: Burkland October 22, 2024 Duration: 24:58
What if your inspiration for starting a company came from solving a problem you experienced first-hand as an engineer at a tech giant like Uber?  In this episode, we welcome Anish Dhar, Co-Founder and CEO of Cortex, to share his incredible journey from an engineer at Uber to founding Cortex, the internal developer portal that addresses a massive gap in engineering processes and recently raised a $60M Series C round.

Anish reflects on how he and his co-founders identified a critical pain point that they knew countless engineers experienced but no one had tried to solve yet. Being “close to the pain” motivated them and was a huge factor in their startup’s fundraising success.

Our expansive discussion touches on:

  • What VCs are looking for at Seed, Series A and beyond
  • Anish’s experience applying (and getting rejected the first time) at Y Combinator and how persistence paid off
  • Why being close to the pain point your product is trying to solve gives founders an advantage
  • The engineering challenges that inspired Cortex

In Anish’s words, starting a company is “truly one of the most gratifying and impactful experiences that you can have. It's painful, but it's worth it!”

Don’t miss Anish's story of innovation, resilience, and building a product that’s transforming the way engineers manage complex systems.

----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn

Tuning into Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors feels less like attending a formal lecture and more like pulling up a chair in a room full of people who have actually built and funded companies. Hosted by the team at Burkland, the conversations here move beyond theory to focus on the tangible, often messy, realities of scaling a business. You’ll find episodes that feel timely, addressing the specific challenges and opportunities that founders and investors are navigating right now. The dialogue is driven by guests who have lived it-founders recounting pivotal moments from their journey and investors explaining the nuances behind their decisions. This isn't about generic advice; it's about the operational details that make or break growth. Each discussion naturally narrows in on a single, critical pressure point, whether that's untangling a complex financing round, refining a go-to-market strategy, or building a culture that can withstand rapid hiring. The value of this podcast lies in its specificity and the credibility of the voices featured. It serves as a practical resource for anyone actively involved in the lifecycle of a startup, offering perspectives that are immediately applicable to your own work. By focusing on real stories and current trends, the series provides a grounded, actionable look at what genuine progress requires from both sides of the founder-investor relationship.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors
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