If you’ve seen a viral startup launch video on your timeline recently, chances are Alan and his team produced it.

He’s worked with some of the most ambitious YC startups, helping them translate complex products into stories people actually understand.

We spoke about emerging video trends, common failure modes, and a tactical framework for founders to think about video storytelling.

Let's get into it!

Links: 

• Alan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pun-85731935/?
• Super Happy Studio - https://superhappy.studio/about/

Candy has spent years inside top newsrooms at Bloomberg and CNBC, where she watched hundreds of founders learn how to tell their stories in real time, often before they became household names. 

Today, she works closely with early-stage founders at Kleiner Perkins, helping them shape their narrative from day zero. 

In our conversation we spoke about:

• Why storytelling went from a nice-to-have to a core founder responsibility
• What most founders get wrong about content creation
• The difference between shiny launch videos and content that actually compounds
• Why “getting started” matters more than perfect quality
• How great storytellers are made

Links:
• Candy on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/candy-cheng-/
• Candy on X - https://x.com/MMCandyCheng
• Kleiner Perkins - kleinerperkins.com/

Kate and I have known each other for a while now, and she’s a true veteran in the tech storytelling space. She started in trad publishing as a literary agent before moving into tech, and has helped shaped narrative strategy at companies like Stripe, Medium, and WeWork.

Today, she’s EIC at Every, where they're pairing long-form editorial content w a portfolio of software bets and consulting.  

In our conversation we covered:

• her backstory 
• what actually endures in tech storytelling (thinking beyond hype cycles)
• and how taste and trust comound over time

Where to find Kate: 

• Kate on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lee-506768/
• Kate on X - https://x.com/katelaurielee
• Every - every.to

Elan is the founder of Off-Menu - a creative studio that helps startups and VCs with design and branding. Elan has been in the scene way before it was cool. What I really admire (and frankly envy) is his capacity to read and write so extensively. 

You can tell that he has really spent time formulating his ideas, and clearly his clients come to him for that same level of intellectual rigour. 

This episode was shorter than usual, but the insight per word density was through the roof. Hope you enjoy! 

Where to find Elan: 

• Elan on X - https://x.com/elan_miller
• Elan on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elanmiller/
• Off-Menu’s website (surprise surprise - its extremely well designed) - https://www.off-menu.com/
• Elan’s writing (really valuable for marketers / storytellers / editorial humans in tech) - https://offmenu.substack.com/

Maria is best known for leading socials at a16z, and she's now building Press Publish Studio, a boutique advisory helping founders with content strategy and execution (without the bloat of a trad agency!)

In our conversation, we spoke about what she learned at a16z, her minimum viable content strategy for founders, why lo-fi storytelling is winning, and the traps founders fall into when they try to DIY.

Maria has been thinking deeply about this space for years, and I loved getting her take on all things social, and beyond.  

Hope you enjoy! 

Where to find Maria: 

• Maria on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialamagna/
• Maria on X - https://x.com/MCLaMagna

In our conversation, we unpacked her perspective on what storytelling looks like in a world full of AI slop, why most founders feel stuck and what they can do about it, and how to build a personal brand that actually maps back to the business. We also got into how venture firms can use editorial as a wedge, not to chase vanity metrics, but to build trust with a very specific set of founders.

Anna is one of the most thoughtful people in content, and I had such a great time chatting with her!

Chapters:

• 00:00 Cold open
• 01:06 Anna's journey from journalism to VC
• 08:12 Storytelling in a wold full of AI slop
• 18:33 Why high quality editorial is still extremely valuable
• 20:06 Anna’s minimum viable content strategy
• 37:13 Attracting attention versus retaining trust
• 39:35 Common storytelling mistakes founders make
• 46:24 Marketing for meaningful outcomes
• 52:25 Anna’s content recs

Where to find Anna:

• Anna on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-shults-held-1975b768/
• Anna on X - https://x.com/ajshults
• Scale Venture Partners - https://www.scalevp.com/

Rachael is currently CMO at Haun Ventures. She has spent her career shaping how the world’s most important tech companies tell their story - from Coinbase, where she served as VP of Comms, to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Spark Capital. She was also Operating Partner at a16z crypto before joining Haun Ventures.

In our conversation, I asked her about her backstory, her storytelling playbook for founders, and how disciplined, focused messaging can help founders cut through the noise.

Where to find Rachael and her work:
•⁠ ⁠X: @RachaelRad
•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelhorwitz/
• Haun Ventures: https://www.haun.co/

Where to find Yash:
•⁠ ⁠Newsletter: https://foundermodejournal.substack.com/
•⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/yashbagal
•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashbagal/
•⁠ ⁠Spectral: https://spectral.to/
•⁠ ⁠founder/mode: https://www.tryfoundermode.com/

Sam is best known for co-founding Works in Progress, a magazine he started in 2020, which was later acquired by Stripe in 2022. He now serves as the Head of Publishing at Stripe.

I was curious to get Sam's take on the value of longer, more meaningful content in an agewhere "going short" seems to be the conventional advice, to cater to our shortening attention spans.

We also spoke about his passion for progress studies, why mainstream media dislikes tech, and how founders can position themselves in a world that is increasingly skeptical of technology and progress in general.

Where to find Sam and his work:
•⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/s8mb
•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/~samb/
• https://worksinprogress.co/

Where to find Yash:
•⁠ ⁠Newsletter: https://foundermodejournal.substack.com/
•⁠ ⁠X: https://x.com/yashbagal
•⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashbagal/
•⁠ ⁠Spectral: https://spectral.to/
•⁠ ⁠founder/mode: https://www.tryfoundermode.com/

Chapters:
- 00:00 AI versus mainstream media
- 02:10 Sam's backstory and how Works in Progress was conceived 
- 06:52 The Stripe acquisition
- 20:50 Balancing editorial integrity and corporate interests
- 30:18 Why ideas matter
- 32:45 Policy making and the reality of government
- 34:45 How storytelling in tech has evolved
- 45:48 The psychological and objective aspects of progress
- 52:42 Advice for founders 
- 58:34 Book recommendations

Where to find Ross: 

• Ross on Linkedin 
• The Tailwinds website. 

Where to find me: 

• @yashbagal on X
• On Linkedin 

Chapters: 

• ⁠00:00 ⁠Cold open
• ⁠01:40 ⁠Rich’s backstory
• ⁠04:26 ⁠Going to Fiji to see Tony Robbins
• ⁠9:39 ⁠His time at Bain Capital Ventures
• ⁠10:54 ⁠Misconceptions about mainstream media
• ⁠14:11 ⁠The clash between journalists and founders
• ⁠18:12 ⁠Understanding journalistic incentives
• ⁠23:03 ⁠Shifting to RJF Editorial
• ⁠28:12 ⁠Minimum viable content strategy
• ⁠30:54 ⁠Building relationships with newsletter writers
• ⁠36:04 ⁠The importance of an owned Audiences
• ⁠37:45 ⁠Sustainable content strategies for founders
• ⁠40:16 ⁠Common mistakes in content creation
• ⁠44:40 ⁠Redefining success metrics in conten
• ⁠46:37 ⁠Influences and recommendations

Chapters: 

• 00:00 Cold open
• 01:02 Vincent's backstory 
• 11:02 Vincent unpacks his editorial philosophy
• 17:27 The importance of documentation
• 19:11 Common mistakes founders / CMOs make
• 26:09 Humans who have influenced Vincent

Chapters: 

• 00:00 Cold open
• 07:16 Christen's backstory 
• 11:05 Building brands in VC
• 24:59 Christen's thoughts on content and distro
• 25:11 Mistakes made and lessons learned
• 31:02 Her work at Scribble Ventures
• 38:10 Where Christen draws inspiration from

• 00:00 Cold open
• 05:29 Dean's backstory 
• 08:17 From contractor to CEO in 240 days 
• 11:42 Thoughts on in crypto marketing
• 13:23 Minimum viable content strategy, and other tips
• 20:49 Common mistakes on crypto twitter
• 22:43 Future Plans for fortyiq
• 27:39 Trends, and closing thoughts

Links: 

• Jaime on X: @jaimenovoa
• Yash on X: @yashbagal

The Narrative is produced by Spectral. 

Links: 

• Jenny on Twitter: @jenny_chao
• Yash on Twitter: @yashbagal

The Narrative is produced by Spectral. 

Links: 

• Nate on Twitter: https://x.com/martin_plural
• Yash on Twitter: https://x.com/yashbagal

The Narrative is produced by Spectral.