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Startup Ignition Podcast

Startup Ignition Podcast

Auteur(s): John & Tyler Richards
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 Father and son team John and Tyler Richards — veteran entrepreneurs, venture investors, mentors, and educators — discuss all things entrepreneurship and venture capital.Startup Ignition Academy, Inc. Développement commercial et entrepreneuriat Entrepreneurship Gestion et leadership Économie
Épisodes
  • Cydni Tetro: Disney R&D, Innovation, 3D Printing, Brandless, Startups, Coke, Tenacity, Women in Tech

    Cydni Tetro: Disney R&D, Innovation, 3D Printing, Brandless, Startups, Coke, Tenacity, Women in Tech
    Jan 1 2026
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, Tyler and John are joined by Cydni Tetro, a serial entrepreneur, tech executive, and absolute legend in the Utah tech scene. Cydni takes us through her remarkable career journey, from balancing a computer science degree while hex editing networks at Novell, to leading innovation at Disney Imagineering’s Blue Sky Group. She shares fascinating stories about creating immersive customer experiences, founding and selling companies like 3D Plus Me and ForgeDX, and her time leading Brandless. We also discuss the importance of tenacity over talent, the risks of building on third-party platforms, and her impact as the founder of the Women Tech Council.

    (00:00:00) Introduction and welcoming Cydni Tetro

    (00:02:06) Cydni’s bio: CS grad, Disney Imagineer, and serial entrepreneur

    (00:04:07) Icebreaker: Rapid fire "This or That"

    (00:05:52) The risk/reward equation of Equity vs. Salary

    (00:10:24) In-person vs. Zoom: Reading the room and building relationships

    (00:11:00) Why tenacity beats talent in founders

    (00:15:21) Cydni’s origin story: Novell and the power of a technical background

    (00:20:34) Moving to startups: The NextPage years

    (00:24:36) How a technical degree gets you a seat at the decision-making table

    (00:28:37) Family Link, the Facebook API, and the dangers of platform dependency

    (00:31:20) The "Utah Tech Web" and connections to VidAngel and Angel Studios

    (00:33:57) Joining Disney Imagineering: Innovation with no constraints

    (00:38:07) Creating the "Glow with the Show" Mickey ears for Cars Land

    (00:41:12) Disney’s ecosystem: Steamboat Ventures and internal innovation

    (00:43:11) Leaving the Mouse to capture the upside: Founding 3D Plus Me

    (00:47:42) How 3D Plus Me turned fans into Iron Man action figures

    (00:49:42) The tech behind full-color 3D printing and scaling with Hasbro

    (00:51:58) Selling 3D Plus Me and founding ForgeDX

    (00:53:20) The origin and economic impact of the Women Tech Council

    (00:55:03) ForgeDX: Visualizing digital transformation for Fortune 500s

    (00:59:55) Brandless: Strategies behind the consolidation and acquisition model

    (01:01:19) The economic shifts of 2021 and their impact on CPG

    (01:02:08) Digital transformation and AI at Swire Coca-Cola

    (01:06:52) The current state of women in entrepreneurship and funding

    (01:12:47) Final advice: Leave every place better than you found it

    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
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    #CydniTetro
    #DisneyImagineering
    #WomenInTech
    #StartupIgnition
    #UtahTech
    #SerialEntrepreneur
    #ProductManagement
    #CustomerExperience
    #Brandless
    #3DPrinting
    #Innovation
    #VentureCapital
    #Novell
    #TechLeadership
    #Storytelling
    #WomenTechCouncil
    #AngelInvesting
    #StartupAdvice
    #Tenacity
    #DigitalTransformation
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    1 h et 19 min
  • John & Tyler go over the Carta Q3 Pre-Seed Analysis, Early Stage Trends, VC, SaaS

    John & Tyler go over the Carta Q3 Pre-Seed Analysis, Early Stage Trends, VC, SaaS
    Dec 18 2025
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, Tyler and John Richards break down the latest data from Carta’s Q3 2025 State of Pre-Seed report. They analyze the current venture landscape, discussing why funding has seen a seasonal decline, the bifurcation of round sizes into "tiny" and "monster" deals, and why capital efficiency is becoming the new standard. The duo also plays a "fill in the blank" icebreaker covering pitch deck mistakes and founder superpowers, and they debate whether AI has dethroned SaaS as the king of investment sectors.


    (00:00:00) The "Unicorn Whirlpool" and the dangers of raising too much too early

    (00:01:06) Welcome to the show: A cold December in Utah

    (00:02:06) Icebreaker: The fastest way to lose a $500k pre-seed round

    (00:03:26) Icebreaker: A founder's true superpower is understanding the customer

    (00:04:07) Icebreaker: A pitch deck is not complete without a Go-to-Market strategy

    (00:07:23) Icebreaker: The one slide we would ban from pitch decks forever

    (00:10:42) Icebreaker: When do we know a founder is going to be successful?

    (00:14:48) Decoding the Data: Carta’s Q3 2025 State of Pre-Seed Report

    (00:17:14) Data Insight: Pre-seed funding declined by cash raised and deal count

    (00:19:25) Data Insight: The "Barbell Market" (Tiny rounds vs. Monster rounds)

    (00:27:04) Data Insight: How many checks does it really take to fill a round?

    (00:28:41) A warning against taking small checks from non-accredited investors

    (00:31:54) Data Insight: The absolute dominance of SAFEs over convertible notes

    (00:36:46) Data Insight: Geography still matters (The West Coast dominates)

    (00:41:28) Data Insight: SaaS is still King (and the Gartner Hype Cycle)

    (00:47:25) Why John and Tyler stick to Pre-Seed investing despite the risks

    (00:50:21) Summary: Capital is concentrated, disciplined, and tethered to traction

    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/startupignition/

    #StartupIgnition
    #PreSeed
    #VentureCapital
    #CartaData
    #Fundraising
    #SaaS
    #AngelInvesting
    #FounderAdvice
    #CapitalEfficiency
    #SafeAgreements
    #StartupFunding
    #UnicornWhirlpool
    #PitchDeck
    #BusinessStrategy
    #Entrepreneurship
    #StartupTrends
    #GoToMarket
    #InvestorTips
    #SiliconSlopes
    #UtahStartups
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    53 min
  • Ryan Westwood: Slow Down to Speed Up, Investing, $250M Exit

    Ryan Westwood: Slow Down to Speed Up, Investing, $250M Exit
    Dec 11 2025
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, we sit down with Ryan Westwood, a prolific entrepreneur and investor who recently scaled Simplus from zero to 600 employees and sold it to Infosys for $250 million. Ryan shares his incredible journey from weeding gardens to earn his first pair of Air Maxes to executing a massive "roll-up" strategy in the Salesforce ecosystem. We dive deep into the mechanics of acquiring companies to increase valuation multiples, the importance of "slowing down to speed up," and how he is applying his playbook to his newest venture, Fullcast. Ryan also opens up about family philanthropy, the discipline of meditation, and the relentless mindset required to win.


    (00:00:00) Introduction to Ryan Westwood and his $250M exit

    (00:02:06) Reading Ryan’s bio: Entrepreneur, Investor, and Philanthropist

    (00:04:07) Startup Mad Libs: "Venture Capital is your enemy"

    (00:05:52) The biggest startup killer: Premature scaling

    (00:10:24) Ryan’s 4 rules for investing in a company

    (00:11:00) Angel investing and focusing on building Fullcast

    (00:15:21) Earning Nikes at age 11: The reward of hard work

    (00:20:34) Shifting from tech to revenue generation

    (00:24:36) Living on $1450/month to save capital for the first startup

    (00:28:37) The origins of Simplus and identifying the CPQ opportunity

    (00:31:20) Finding a niche in Salesforce customization

    (00:33:57) The "Roll-up" Strategy: Acquiring 7 competitors in 3 years

    (00:38:07) The current state of Private Equity and finding buyers

    (00:41:12) Using a mix of debt, equity, and cash for acquisitions

    (00:43:11) The paranoia of closing a deal during the onset of COVID

    (00:47:42) Using a Series C "Blocker" to negotiate a higher price

    (00:49:42) Why Ryan left Infosys despite a $150M EBITDA year

    (00:51:58) Drafting off the Salesforce brand and staying differentiated

    (00:53:20) "Jab, Jab, Right Hook": Giving value before asking for the sale

    (00:55:03) Networking and the power of being a good person

    (00:59:55) The Fullcast story: Buying a company to fix sales operations

    (01:01:19) Rolling equity and doubling down on the new venture

    (01:02:08) Growing Fullcast valuation to $125M in seven quarters

    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/startupignition/

    #RyanWestwood
    #Simplus
    #Fullcast
    #ExitStrategy
    #Salesforce
    #Acquisitions
    #StartupFunding
    #RevenueGrowth
    #EntrepreneurMindset
    #Philanthropy
    #Meditation
    #BusinessStrategy
    #VentureCapital
    #RollUpStrategy
    #SaaS
    #AngelInvesting
    #Leadership
    #StartupIgnition
    #JohnRichards
    #TylerRichards
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    1 h et 10 min
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