Brad Feld

This Season 2 Finale features an extended conversation (2+ hours) between Brad Feld and Ben McDougal, recorded in the wild, LIVE from the mountains of Boulder, Colorado!

We begin with a rewind on Brad’s own journey, then shift into entrepreneurship, leadership within startup communities, and venture capital in the first hour. Ben teleports to narrate a break with two writings inspired by Brad, then we dive back in for so much more. The origins of Techstars, technology, mentorship, and philosophy is how we land this milestone moment.

As you’ll hear/see, EP100 brews timeless insight for founders and the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Enjoy the full experience, and to make key takeaways easier to share, bookmarks for this extended experience are highlighted below. Cheers to another remarkable season of You Don’t Need This Podcast and let’s keep building… together.

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0:00 – Ben in Boulder
1:30 – Hello Brad Feld
2:30 – Early Experiences
5:15Writing First Book
7:00 – Incubator to Accelerator
12:40 – Random Days
29:30 – Startup Communities
36:15 – Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
37:30 – Too Many Referees, Not Enough Boxers
38:15 – Rural Startup Communities
43:30 – Astronomy
45:30 – Positive Sum Games
46:15 – Give First Intrapreneurs
50:45 – J-Curve
52:00 – Venture Capital Timelines
54:00 – Investor Metrics
56:30 – The Measurement Trap
1:01:15 – 5 Why’s
1:03:50 – Cliffhangers

1:04:50 – Break ☕ #GiveFirst
1:08:18 – Break ☕ Intrinsic

1:11:50 – Welcome Back
1:12:25 – Founders of Techstars
1:23:00Startup Community Partnerships
1:33:20 – Guitar Hero in Times Square
1:38:15 – Bigger Isn’t Better
1:41:00 – Sclerotic Thoughts
1:42:00 – Contentment
1:42:50BEN BOT
1:44:05 – Digitized Consciousness
1:45:12 – Vibe Coding
1:46:45Dinostroids
1:49:40 – Quantified Self
1:54:16 – Biohacking
1:56:30 – AI Notetaking
1:59:55 – Founder’s Interest in Philosophy
2:00:50The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Niche
2:07:10 – Obsession over Passion
2:10:20 – Affinity as an Investor
2:11:35 – Fight to the End
2:11:50The Dip -Seth Godin
2:12:20 – Successful Companies Experiment
2:13:15 – Evolution of Work
2:14:30 – Quickfire
– Spell Check
– Ant Hills
– Signal to Raise Capital
– Long Run Epiphany
– Being Alone
– Pinball Wizard
– Music & Concerts
2:23:15 – Fine Art
2:24:30You Don’t Need This Book
2:26:00 – “They can’t kill you, and they can’t eat you.” Len Fassler

Give First.
People like us.
Do things like this.

BONUS MATERIALS

https://feld.com

https://foundry.vc

https://techstars.com

Break: #GiveFirst + Intrinsic

http://BradFeld.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP14 – Drams of History 🎙️ Tej Dhawan

EP18 – Fourteeners 🎙️🎞️ Jeff Reed

EP29 – Borderless 🎙️ Kerty Levy

EP56 – Caffeinated Manifesto 2 🎙️🎞️

EP99 – Traveled 🎙️🎞️ Trevor Carlson

https://BenMcDougal.com/tag/Brad-Feld

https://BenMcDougal.com/tag/Techstars

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

By Ben McDougal, ago

Traveled

Trevor Carlson visited 50+ countries in 5 years!

He’s also a friend, founder, content creator, and below-average salsa dancer. Pack your bag and ride along as we wind through an extended episode with wild stories from around the globe, a narrated break, writing fiction, thoughts on the future of You Don’t Need This Podcast, experiential wisdom brewed to keep us building together, and bonus footage where Ben shares what he wants from life.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://lostandlore.com

https://FreshFuelMarketing.com

The Climb by Trevor Carlson (early access)

Roasted Reflections Break: Serendipitist

http://Traveled.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP44 – Do What You Love 🎙️ Scotty Russell

EP56 – Caffeinated Manifesto 2 🎙️ Ben McDougal

EP84 – Base Camp 🎙️ John Kallen

EP94 – Paving Paths 🎙️ Eric Engelmann

Man’s Search For Meaning -Viktor E. Frankl

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

YDNTP on YouTube

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago

Unrelenting

Abena Sankofa is an unrelenting author, founder, and fellow podcaster who hosts Black & Privileged in America. This leader celebrates Africana, challenges historical narratives, and advocates for a just world. Together, we share time on a Tuesday by chatting about reading, writing, podcasting, and building a healthy bookshelf.

After another narrated break, we update the “minority” business owner narrative, discuss ways to leverage resources geared just for you, and explore the perceived religious vibes that are more like the constant governance of cultural interactions within business environments and beyond.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://AbenaSankofa.com

Omari’s Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe

“Iowa Nice” Interrupted | TEDxDesMoines

Roasted Reflections Break: Bookmarks

http://Unrelenting.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP33 – Health Equity 🎙️ Corey Dion Lewis

EP59 – Agents of Change 🎙️ Amner Martinez

EP65 – Aromatherapy 🎙️ Kourtney Perry

EP86 – Red Jalapeño 🎙️ Taufeek Shah

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

By Ben McDougal, ago

Break Ground

Dan Knoup and Brandon Patterson lead the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines. We break ground by hearing how these two leaders got into residential construction. We then hit on the hands-on nature of entrepreneurs who start (or acquire) a skilled trade or home building business.

After the break, we explore the tech-flavored frontiers of the home building industry, like AI in construction, online tools to enhance collaboration, smart homes, material science, and evolving talent. We then talk about how membership-based organizations can stay vibrant to deliver what’s needed now, while staying creative in ways members will appreciate later. We finish the job by discussing residential vs. commercial construction, how teams can build together, ways new founders can break into the home building industry, and fresh ways to keep us all building.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://dsmhba.com

https://iowaskilledtrades.com

https://hbi.org

Roasted Reflections Break: Perpetual

http://Break-Ground.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP34 – Measured Twice 🎙️ Ryan Glick

EP83 – Prognostication 🎙️ Ehrich Pakala

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

YDNTP on YouTube

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago

Inverse Charisma

Jack Chimbetete learned to make others feel charismatic as a young leader in Zimbabwe. After this film maker experienced the Mandela Washington Fellowship, he forged a new path by moving to Iowa. We chat about growing up in Africa, producing content for TV, the African Live Network, tips for migration, and how to sequence storytelling to enhance any adventure.

After a euphoric break, Jack and Ben talk about what’s easy to do, but hard to maintain. They discuss being optimistic, while staying realistic and finish with ideas to help anyone build a network when you’re new to town.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://jacksshackint.com

https://africalivenetwork.tv

https://onevoicedsm.org

https://cultureall.org

Roasted Reflections Break: Career Nirvana

http://Inverse-Charisma.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP37 – Power of Purpose 🎙️ Dwana Bradley

EP63 – Trapping Time 🎙️ Chris Lo

EP67 – Kups From Kenya 🎙️ Laban Njuguna

https://MandelaWashingtonFellowship.org

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://BenMcDougal.com/show-up

https://BenMcDougal.com/echos

Tiësto 🪩 New York City

https://BrianTracy.com

YDNTP on YouTube

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago