In this episode, we explore why the best founders don’t wait for perfect plans—they launch, learn, and build in public.

From early growth hacks to fast feedback loops and sales that start before the product’s finished, we unpack what it really takes to grow quickly and stay ahead. If you're stuck planning instead of building, this one will light a fire.

Cory Blumenfeld

Cory Blumenfeld is a seasoned entrepreneur and business strategist with a passion for empowering individuals to find their voice and start their own ventures. He has co-founded multiple startups, including CoHealth, a digital platform promoting healthy behavior change, and Caribou, a healthcare planning software for financial advisors that raised over $3 million in funding.

Currently, Cory serves in Strategy Operations at LearnLux Financial Wellbeing, applying his diverse experience to enhance financial wellness solutions. A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and a Next 36 alumnus, Cory is dedicated to inspiring and guiding aspiring entrepreneurs through his insights and leadership.

SHOW NOTES

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

In this episode of Startups Decoded, Andy Walsh and Corey Blumenfeld discuss the concept of building in public, exploring its significance in the startup ecosystem. Corey shares his journey as a founder, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, authenticity, and the power of relationships in business. They delve into the balance between sharing ideas publicly versus keeping them private, the necessity of validation and testing in product development, and the role of trust and vulnerability in fostering a successful team culture. The conversation also touches on how effective storytelling can attract investment and the long-term benefits of building genuine connections within the entrepreneurial community.

Takeaways

Building in public allows for authentic connections.

Storytelling is crucial for engaging with audiences.

Validation through testing is essential for success.

Trust and vulnerability foster a positive team culture.

Investors are interested in the founder's story and decisions.

Sharing experiences can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Building relationships is key to long-term success.

The future of selling lies in genuine storytelling.

You can learn from every interaction, regardless of experience.

Being respectfully assertive is important in business.

Sound Bites

"You can learn from every single person."

"You need to be respectfully assertive."

"The future of selling is storytelling."

Chapters

00:00 Building in Public: A New Era for Startups

05:02 The Journey of Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned

08:55 The Power of Sharing Your Story

11:41 Learning from Every Interaction

14:19 Building Relationships in a Digital Age

16:45 Transparency vs. Stealth: The New Norm

18:57 Testing Fast: Validating Ideas Quickly

23:51 The Importance of Hypothesis Testing in Business

25:33 The Power of Storytelling and Sharing in Public

28:05 Building Trust Through Vulnerability and Authenticity

33:29 The Role of Trust and Delegation in Business Growth

38:48 Storytelling as a Tool for Investment and Revenue Generation

Angel investors are no longer just writing checks – they’re becoming strategic advisors, board members, and even fractional executives.

But how do founders attract the right angel investors who bring more than money to the table?

Tony Kula

Tony Kula is a seasoned entrepreneur with over three decades of experience in the communications sector. He has successfully founded and exited multiple companies, navigating both bootstrapped and venture capital-backed ventures. Now based between the south of France and Berlin, Tony is dedicated to sharing his entrepreneurial insights through mentoring and angel investing. With a human-centric approach to business, he brings a wealth of knowledge in scaling startups, building impactful networks, and fostering sustainable growth. Outside of business, Tony is an avid triathlete and a devoted family man.

Tony Kula has built a career around creating and scaling communications-focused ventures, leveraging his extensive industry expertise to drive innovation and market success. With a proven track record of both bootstrapped and VC-backed exits, Tony now channels his entrepreneurial energy into supporting the next wave of founders as a mentor and angel investor. His ventures have spanned digital media, telecommunications, and strategic communications, each with a focus on transformative growth and long-term impact. Today, he continues to foster connections and opportunities for founders across Europe, combining his business acumen with a passion for community and mentorship.

SHOW NOTES

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

In this episode of Startups Decoded, host Andy Walsh engages with angel investor Tony Kula, who shares his extensive journey from an early career in IT to becoming a successful entrepreneur and angel investor. Tony discusses the importance of building relationships in the investment space, the lessons learned from his own experiences, and the evolving landscape of angel investing. He emphasizes the need for founders to demonstrate traction and financial discipline while also highlighting the significance of authenticity in storytelling. The conversation concludes with insights into the future of investing and the importance of supporting the next generation of founders.

Takeaways

Tony Kula's journey from IT to entrepreneurship is marked by a desire for independence.

Angel investing involves learning from mistakes and adapting strategies over time.

Building relationships with investors is crucial for founders seeking funding.

Authenticity and transparency in storytelling are vital for successful pitches.

Investors look for financial discipline and traction in startups before investing.

The landscape of angel investing is evolving, with a shift towards profitability over rapid growth.

Founders should focus on building genuine connections rather than just seeking capital.

Diversity in an investment portfolio is essential for angel investors.

The importance of mentorship and support for young founders cannot be overstated.

The future of investing may lean towards smaller, sustainable businesses rather than unicorns.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Angel Investment

01:26 Tony's Early Career and Entrepreneurial Journey

06:16 Transitioning to Angel Investing

12:16 Insights for Founders Seeking Investment

22:57 Building Relationships with Investors

29:03 The Future of Angel Investing

38:19 Supporting the Next Generation of Founders

Chris Tottman, Founding General Partner at Notion Capital, shares how collaboration between radically different thinkers — founders, investors, and operators — creates force-multiplying outcomes.

This episode explores why the best startups aren't built solo, how pattern recognition meets founder intuition, and why energy alignment matters more than experience at early stages.

Chris Tottman

Founding General Partner at Notion Capital ($1B+ AUM), where he backs exceptional B2B SaaS founders and helps shape go-to-market strategy at scale. He’s the founder of Included.vc, AlphaGraph.club, and TheFoundersCorner newsletter, and the author of The GTM Handbook for B2B SaaS Leaders and the wildly candid BrainDumps series.

A serial investor in over 500 founders, Chris is also an active advisor to leaders and companies across stages. Beyond venture, he invests through his family office with a growing interest in super rare classic cars.

When he’s not investing, you’ll find him coaching, creating, and collaborating with the kind of brilliant, incrementalist founders who value long games and thoughtful growth — often referred by close-knit networks or discovered in unexpected corners of the internet.

NOTION Capital

A venture capital firm specializing in European SaaS and cloud startups. With over 100 investments to date, Notion backs exceptional founders with long-term capital and hands-on support through its value-add platform — helping build category-defining companies from seed to scale.

SHOW NOTES

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

“We don't want to be concerned about Founders solving the problems that have been solved many times before.”

In this episode of Startups Decoded, host Andy Walsh engages in a deep conversation with Chris Tottman from Notion Capital about the critical relationship between founders and investors. They explore Tottman's journey into venture capital, the importance of understanding founder dynamics, and the evolving landscape of startup investment, particularly in the context of AI.

Tottman shares insights on investment strategies, the significance of empathy in investor relationships, and the need for founders to solve unique problems. The discussion also touches on the balance between intuition and data in decision-making, the importance of differentiation in the market, and the value-added infrastructure that can support founders in their journey.

Sound Bites

"The best founders solve unique problems."

"Don't be better, be different."

"The math of venture capital is extreme."

Chapters

00:00: Introduction to Founder-Investor Fit

03:06: Chris Tottman's Journey into Venture Capital

05:42: The Role of Founders in Venture Capital

08:29: Notion Capital's Investment Strategy

11:15: The Impact of AI on Investment Opportunities

13:12: Navigating Hype Cycles in Technology

15:09: The Evolution of Investor-Startup Relationships

16:45: Understanding Personal Motivations and Dyslexia

22:25: Building Value-Added Infrastructure for Founders

24:34: Building a Supportive Ecosystem for Founders

28:25: Navigating Founders' Challenges and Problem-Solving

31:54: The Balance of Data and Intuition in Decision-Making

33:26: The Importance of Differentiation in Startups

37:30: Insights from the Book 'Brain Dump'

39:51: Understanding Deal Flow and Investment Strategies