StartUp Podcast

Success Academy has grown quickly — in just 12 years, the network has gone from one school in Harlem to 47 schools across New York City. In order to …

Success Academy’s state test results are truly remarkable — their students score in the top one percent in New York State, often beating out kids …

Eva Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Success Academy, the highest performing and most controversial charter school network in New York City, and …

The Story:
Eva Moskowitz wants to fix a really big problem. There are over a million kids in New York City’s public schools. Most can’t read or do …

Alex Blumberg sits down with the stars of the Homecoming  TV show-- Julia Roberts and Stephan James, and director Sam Esmail-- to talk about how they …

Being in charge of a big-budget TV production means having to make decisions. It's a new kind of power for Micah and Eli, and one that's sometimes uncomfortable to exercise. The words they write have real-world, …

Micah and Eli get to work, writing the scripts for the Homecoming TV show. But taking something meant only for the ear, and turning it into something for the eye... proves to be deceptively challenging. Plus, Alex …

Two years ago, Gimlet released its first fiction podcast: Homecoming. Now, this November, a television series based on the hit podcast and starring …

The Story:
At the end of the last episode, co-founders Justin, Emmett, Michael, and Kyle had a big problem on their hands. Streaming Justin's life 24/7—the very idea their company was founded on—turned out to be kind of …

The Story:

A group of friends moves across the country to launch an unlikely website that they think could replace television. The media loves them. …

The Story:

In the evangelical world, there are very few female church planters. In 2012 only three percent of all conservative churches had women as …

This is our fifth and final episode following pastor AJ Smith, who has been trying to grow a new church in Philadelphia. It’s a process that has come …

Hell, homosexuality, and the role of women in church — these are some of the most sensitive topics in Christian theology today. And the implications …

In the world of church planting, every Sunday counts… but there are a couple Sundays each year that can truly change the fate of a church. One of …

It takes more than just a calling to start a church. You need a following. You need money. And to get that money, pastors often have to pass a kind …

Every year, there’s a movement of thousands of pastors starting new churches — they call them church plants. It’s a world remarkably parallel to the tech industry, with incubators, growth metrics and, well, angel …

For the last six months at StartUp, we have been following a group of pastors and their families who’ve shown us what it’s really like to start a …

For seven months, Arlan Hamilton agreed to let StartUp reporter Amy Standen follow her around with a microphone and ask her all kinds of questions — …

In our final episode of the series, Arlan is on a roll. She’s making new investments, raising her profile in the VC world, and bringing new people …

In this week’s episode, Arlan tries to maintain control as investments fall through, she butts heads with a prominent investing platform, and we meet …

Arlan has only a few months left before her cash runs out out when a seemingly perfect opportunity comes along. Is it too good to be true? Also, we take a look at Arlan's past as an entrepreneur, before she became a …

Like most venture capitalists, Arlan Hamilton plans to find the next billion dollar company by pattern matching—that's when VCs look to entrepreneurs …

In this week’s episode we dive into what Silicon Valley considers “hustle” and how it may need to update its definition. We also find out how Arlan first got into venture capital—after months of sleeping on the floor at …

Silicon Valley is leaving money on the table, and Arlan Hamilton will go to extremes to prove it. She's a venture capitalist like no other — black, female, gay — and she's out to prove that investors in the Valley are …

What's it like having Zach Braff play you on TV? Alex gets to ponder that question with the man himself on stage at NYC Podfest. They also talk about Chris Sacca, swearing on podcasts, and crying at work in a …

Season 7 of StartUp is almost here! On April 27th, we’re taking you into the world of venture capital with Silicon Valley’s most unlikely power broker: Arlan Hamilton. 

Here’s a sneak peek of our story.

And are you …

Gimlet co-founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber are pretty much on the same page… right? 

This week, we put their relationship to the test. Producer Luke Malone got Matt and Alex into separate studios and asked them the …

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our …

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our …

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our …

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our …

In honor of the release of the TV show Alex, Inc., we’re binge dropping episodes of StartUp—the podcast that started it all—along with brand-new after shows. These are the best episodes about Gimlet, as chosen by our …

All this week we’ve been following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all …

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all …

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all …

Every day this week we’re following StartupBus, a hackathon on wheels, where a bunch of strangers come together to launch companies in one week, all …

This summer, 20 strangers got on a bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For five days, they had one goal: to build and launch companies while on …

This past summer, 20 strangers got on a charter bus headed from New York to New Orleans. For three days they had one goal: Build and launch companies from inside the bus. And then? Compete against each other.

Reporter …

Alex is back in the host’s chair today to introduce Gimlet’s first kid’s show—Story Pirates. It’s a podcast where actors, musicians, and comedians turn stories written by kids into hilarious plays and songs.

Alex talked …

When a group of college kids in Florida set out to change the music industry, they did not anticipate how disruptive they would be. Their mission was …

In 2004, the U.S. government held a race unlike anything that had come before it. It was called the DARPA Grand Challenge, and it followed a 150-mile …

Kik, a chat app popular with teenagers, launched in 2010. Users flocked to it, and within a few years it was valued at a billion dollars. Then a new …

China is on a mission to upgrade its international reputation. The government doesn’t want people to see the country as just the world’s factory for socks and toys and cell phones. It wants people around the globe to …

Lisa Chow and Alex Blumberg sit down together to talk about the future of StartUp.

And, we introduce you to Gimlet Media's newest podcast The Nod. Co-hosted by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, The Nod celebrates and …

Jasen Yang gave up the security of a high-paying Wall Street job to launch his company, Polly Portfolio. It’s been three years since then, and Jasen …

Gary Kremen owned one of the most valuable domain names in the history of the internet. And then one day, he lost it in the most unusual way. For years, Gary fought to win back his domain “sex dot com." The legal battle …

StartUp is back for a brand new season, and we're kicking things off with a story about the competitive world of domains.

Reporter Amy Standen brings us the story of Rick Schwartz, who earned the title “Domain King” by …

On this episode of StartUp, we're introducing you to a new show from Gimlet Media. It's called Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty. The show …

Concussions have cast a major shadow over contact sports, from youth leagues to the pros. But entrepreneur Anthony Gonzales thinks he can fix it by putting a gadget in the mouths of athletes. Now he just has to convince …

Mokhtar Alkhanshali is trying to produce the perfect cup of coffee. And he’s trying to do it with beans grown in the midst of an active war zone in Yemen. Despite those challenges, his company’s first batch earned rave …

You called with your questions. Alex Blumberg has your answers—about growth, diversity at Gimlet and, oh yeah, that ABC sitcom that’s currently being made about the first season of StartUp.

Mason Gordon’s dream is to create a new global team sport, something that hasn’t happened since basketball came on the scene in the 1890s. But Mason is determined. He invented Slamball—an amped up combination of …

Jason from Bento started a business that prepared and delivered pan-Asian meals on demand. Lauren and Emma from Dating Ring wanted to reinvent online …

Alex and Matt talk to Josh Muccio, the host of Gimlet's newest show, about his path to podcasting. Then we sample the first half of the latest episode of Josh's show, The Pitch.

Hello, there! This week we’re rebroadcasting an episode from way back in Season 2 when we were following Dating Ring, a company that was different …

Researchers who think about the thorny problem of feeding our growing global population have started to point at one possible solution: bugs. They’re …

Jake Glanville and his small biotech startup are trying to beat big pharmaceutical companies and major research institutions to a potentially game-changing medical breakthrough: the universal flu vaccine. 

This week on StartUp we’re listening in as executive coach Jerry Colonna sits down with Diana Lovett, the founder of a socially responsible chocolate …

Gimlet launched a new podcast this month. It's called "Every Little Thing"and it searches for the extraordinary lurking in the ordinary. It's hosted by science journalist Flora Lichtman, who on this recent episode of …

After a turbulent start and the firing of its founder, Friendster looked like it was back on track. It was still the biggest social network around …

In 2003, Jonathan Abrams was sitting atop one of the hottest new companies in Silicon Valley. He and his website were at the forefront of an industry …

In 1983 a guy named Stuart Anders invented a toy that would become a huge hit -- one of the biggest fad toys of a generation. But the toy world can …

In episode 2 of this season of StartUp, producer Molly Messick followed producers Eric Mennel and Ngofeen Mputubwele, who were working on creating a …

Following his ousting from American Apparel, Dov Charney has been eager to restart and launch his new venture—Los Angeles Apparel. He has assembled …

In the spring of 2014, the American Apparel board offered Dov Charney two options: forfeit your position as CEO and stay on as a creative consultant …

In 2007, Dov Charney took American Apparel public, placing the company under heightened scrutiny. This meant Charney lost the privacy and autonomy he’d grown accustomed to.  And, as more stories emerged from inside the …

While Dov Charney was running American Apparel, he didn’t shy away from unconventionality. And for many entrepreneurs, breaking convention is an essential part of growing an innovative company. But pushing boundaries is …

Alex Blumberg interviews Pat Walters, Eli Horowitz, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier — the creators of Gimlet’s three newest shows. Hear how Gimlet developed these projects and what they are all about. And enjoy …

In this episode, we trace American Apparel’s rise from the early wholesale days in South Carolina to the booming retail behemoth that the company …

Dov Charney is trying to rebuild a multi-million dollar apparel company from the ground up. But he can’t do it alone. In this episode, we’ll hear …

Season 4 of StartUp continues with the story of a well-known entrepreneur who built a widely recognized business, lost it all, and is now starting over—from scratch.

Over the next several episodes, we’ll hear as this …

This week, Alex receives feedback about his job performance from his co-workers, friends, and family. Some of it is good, some less so. But there is something else that comes up during the review process that shocks him.

Growth. It can be exciting, it can be motivating, and it can be really stressful. In this week’s episode, we take a look at the tensions that …

StartUp is back! And we’re kicking Season 4 off with an update on what’s happening here at Gimlet Media. 

Since the start of the year, Gimlet has more than doubled in size. And while growth is often the goal for a …

Season 4 of StartUp is almost here. Here's a sneak peek of the fourth season, which kicks off with some episodes about the company that makes this podcast: Gimlet Media.

Since we last checked in on Gimlet HQ, the company …

Alex Blumberg sits down with Jonathan Goldstein, host of Gimlet Media's newest show, Heavyweight. They talk about working at This American Life, …

Something is amiss at 2680 Madison Road. In the thriving Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park, the property is sandwiched between several decades-old …

Edgar Diaz has dedicated his life to dairy. He sees an incredible beauty in milk and the things that can come from it: soft cheese, rich dulce de …

Coss Marte went from running a multi-million dollar drug operation to sitting in solitary confinement. And it’s here, alone in his cell, where he …

Coss Marte is getting ready to pitch his company to a panel of prominent entrepreneurs and an audience of hundreds. He’s competing against five other startups for a chance at $100,000. With this money, Coss hopes to …

Two men decide to start a company. Everything is going well... until it’s not. That’s the moment they decide to start recording their …

It’s not uncommon for shoppers to walk out of Mary Going’s store feeling on top of the world. Mary runs Saint Harridan, a company that makes custom suits for the gender non-conforming. With her store, Mary has created a …

When a group of college kids in Florida set out to change the music industry, they did not anticipate quite how disruptive they would be. Their …

Mike is on a mission to bring his customers something they desperately want. Every week, he embarks on a long and unpredictable journey across international borders and smuggles back some highly sought-after goods. And …

We pick up where we left off in the last episode, and hear how Justin, Emmett, Michael, and Kyle try to extend the life of their video-streaming company by making some risky but important decisions. In the process, …

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3! 

This season, we’re doing something new. Instead of following one company over many episodes, we’ll be …

Season 3 launches Thursday, April 14th

As we wrap up this mini-season, Lisa Chow comes back from maternity leave and notices some big changes at Gimlet. And these changes... they aren't all for the better. Lisa talks to Gimlet employees about concerns over …

If you were to walk into Gimlet HQ, there are a few things you’d probably notice right off the bat. First, it’s crowded - like a grungy dorm room. Second, the lighting… it’s not great. Not many windows. Third, it’s …

Gimlet is growing fast. We have four shows on the air, and several others in pre-production. If we want to grow faster, though, we could use some …

Gimlet is starting a new line of business, and it’s a complicated one: Branded content. Branded content is a piece of media (a video, a story, a …

Gimlet is making a big, expensive bet. The kind of bet that could make or break the company. And it’s a bet that comes down to one factor: What is …

We return to the offices of Gimlet for the start of a new mini-season. It's been a year since the company launched and things are changing... fast. In this episode, Alex and his wife, Nazanin, wrestle with a huge …

A Gimlet update and a special announcement

Lessons learned in business and love 

Under pressure, the Dating Ring founders make a big decision

Lauren and Emma visit the CEO Whisperer

A golden opportunity sows seeds of doubt

In online dating, love is not blind

This week, we take a break from our usual programming on Dating Ring to bring you this very special bonus episode, featuring Gimlet's newest show. 

Inside Dating Ring's Matchmaking System

Save The Date (S2 Ep4) by Gimlet

Welcome to fundraising

Inside the Startup School Y Combinator 

First comes love...then comes equity 

StartUp is a podcast series about what it’s really like to get a business off the ground. In Season 1, Alex …

An end and a beginning 

Episode 13 addresses a question that has been dogging us since the company’s beginnings: Are we a technology company or a content company?

This …

Recovering from a breaking point

Thanks to everyone who took our listener survey last week. To see the results, visit: …

Lessons on building an audience 

While working on this episode, we realized we want to know more about our audience. So, we created a survey. It takes about two minutes to complete, and you can find it at …

Lessons on outgrowing your business plan 

Gimlet Media addresses a company mistake.

Welcome, Reply All 

Are you ready to invest in Gimlet Media?

It's all about your story. 

Choosing a favorite is only the beginning. 

StartUps are a risky business, but there's lots of reasons to write a check. 

How much of your company should you give up when you bring on a partner?

Dreaming big is harder than you'd think. 

This is a series about what happens when someone who knows nothing about business starts one. It's called StartUp.  In episode one, Alex Blumberg botches his pitch to Silicon Valley billionaire Chris Sacca.