Lessons in Leadership & AI, the Founder Talent Hustle, and AI Software Disruption
Big Tech to startup — it's a leap, and not everyone sticks the landing. This week on Founded & Funded, Highspot’s Bhrighu Sareen?shares what he’s learned about scaling AI-driven products, building high-performing teams, and partnering effectively with founders.?If you’re a founder, you’re likely always recruiting — even when you don’t realize it. Our Talent Team breaks down how the best leaders turn every meeting into a hiring opportunity without making it a grind.?Plus, we dive into?upcoming events you won’t want to miss, and the latest wins from our portfolio. Let’s get into it.
Founded & Funded
Scaling, AI, and Leadership after Big Tech: Lessons from Highspot's Bhrighu Sareen
Leaving Big Tech for a startup is a big decision — and thriving once you're there isn't always easy.?Whether you're considering the jump or already leading a startup, this conversation between?Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter and Highspot President of Product & Engineering Bhrighu Sareen is full of insights on navigating leadership, working with founders, and scaling AI-driven products.
Some key takeaways for founders and product leaders:
Recruiting
Hooked — The Full-Stack Talent Hustle
You're probably leaving top talent on the table – here's how to fix it. The best founders don’t just hustle in silos — they turn every interaction into an opportunity to recruit, sell, and fundraise all at once. Investors can be sources of candidates. Customers can be connectors. The smartest founders don’t compartmentalize — they compound leverage across every conversation.
Are you treating every meeting, intro, and pitch as a chance to build your talent pipeline? If not, you’re leaving recruiting leverage on the table. In the latest from the Madrona Talent Team's Hooked newsletter, here’s how to always be recruiting without making it a chore — and turn your network into a flywheel.?
This is the fourth of a six-part series. Read & subscribe to Hooked here.
Events
Montgomery Summit: Investing in an AI-Fueled Risk-on Environment
How much capital is required to scale before going public? How should growth equity adapt to these shifting dynamics? What defines “best-in-class” metrics in this new cycle? Are we on the verge of sustainable transformation, or is this a bubble nearing its peak?
Find out at The Montgomery Summit , where a panel of experts, including Madrona Managing Director Matt McIlwain, will dive into it all.?Request an invite here. You can also read more from Matt on how 2025 is shaping up to be a year defined by bold entrepreneurial moves and calculated risk-taking here.
Portfolio Roundup
Typeface was named an official Google marketing partner.
Echodyne’s EchoShield Radar was integrated with PureTech Systems, a provider of geospatial AI-boosted video analytics.
Fixie released Ultravox v0.5, the latest iteration of its open-weight speech language model.
Gradial made three strategic hires to expand its agentic AI ecosystem.
MotherDuck introduced MotherDuck for Business Analytics.
Eclyspium hired Raj Dodhiawala as CPO.
Observe CEO Jeremy Burton was included in an AI predictions roundup from APM Digest.
Runway?has opened submissions?for its AI?Film Festival.
Clozd announced Workflows.
Read AI added new languages to its offerings.
Clari CTO Venkat Rangan wrote a column for Industry Today Media about the future of cybersecurity growth.
Flexe CFO Curt Anderson joined Kyriba’s Liquid Podcast.
Deepgram released its new model, Nova-3.?