{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Redefining Communication: Yoodli Founders on AI Roleplays, Confidence &amp; Building in Seattle","description":"In this episode of Founded &amp;amp; Funded, Madrona Venture Partner Patrick Ennis sits down with Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, co-founders of Yoodli, an AI-powered communications coach helping people become more confident speakers. Varun and Esha share their leap from Big Tech into startup life, eating noodles on secondhand couches while chasing a bold mission: making effective communication accessible to everyone. They dive into:  The origin story behind Yoodli, (and where the name came from!) How AI roleplays bring \u201cexposure therapy\u201d to speaking practice. Use cases ranging from sales training to doctors having end-of-life conversations. The decision to build in Seattle vs. SF with support from Madrona and AI2. Co-founder dynamics, culture-first hiring, and why they turned down a famous Silicon Valley VC.  This is a must-listen for any founder building with AI, thinking about culture-first scaling, or just wanting to speak with more confidence. Full Transcript: https:\/\/www.madrona.com\/redefining-communication-yoodli-ai-roleplays Chapters: (00:00) \u2013 Introduction (02:00) \u2013 The \u201cWhy\u201d Behind Yoodli (04:00) \u2013 Why AI &amp;amp; Why Now (06:00) \u2013 Who Uses Yoodli? (09:00) \u2013 Building a Category: AI Role Plays (10:00) \u2013 The Real Story Behind the Name \u201cYoodli\u201d (13:00) \u2013 Early Team &amp;amp; Company Building (15:00) \u2013 Seattle vs. Silicon Valley (17:00) \u2013 Turning Down a Famous VC (19:00) \u2013 Co-Founders: The Power of Two (21:00) \u2013 Building Confidence as First-Time Founders (24:00) \u2013 Scaling the Team &amp;amp; Culture (26:00) \u2013 Seattle\u2019s Talent Pool &amp;amp; Startup Ecosystem (28:00) \u2013 Hiring Values (30:00) \u2013 Customer Feedback &amp;amp; Boundaries (31:30) \u2013 Lessons Learned as Founders (33:00) \u2013 &amp;nbsp;Serial Founders? ","author_name":"Founded &amp; Funded","author_url":"https:\/\/www.madrona.com\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/38734620\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/38734620"}