First Builders

In this special off-season episode, Rachel and Amber sit down with Preeti Krishnan, founder of Leela, to mark the company's public launch and oversubscribed $4.6 million raise, a round The Council committed into early. Preeti spent nearly five years at DailyPay, rising from chief of staff to COO as the company scaled from 20 employees and $2 million in ARR to 1,000 employees and $250 million in ARR, after starting her career as a funds attorney at Davis Polk. She saw compliance from both sides: first setting up regulated businesses to follow the rules, then living with how hard those rules were to actually operationalize, a pattern she saw again at lending company Caffeine. Leela was built to close that gap, not just surfacing compliance data for humans to act on, but doing the compliance work itself. The conversation digs into how Leela operates across the four pillars of compliance (policies, obligations, work, and evidence), why the company built a proprietary language called Reglang to keep AI judgment accurate and repeatable enough for regulators, and what happens when a company falls out of compliance, using the Synapse and Evolve collapse as the cautionary tale. Preeti also shares how she found her co-founder Frank Kim by cold-messaging people she admired on LinkedIn, and why conviction, not just a good story, is what gets a pre-seed round oversubscribed in a noisy AI fundraising market. We cover: • Preeti's path from funds attorney at Davis Polk to COO at DailyPay, scaling from $2M to $250M in ARR • Why compliance exists to help regulated businesses grow, but rarely feels that way in practice • The four pillars of compliance: policies, obligations, work, and evidence • How Leela acts as a force multiplier, effectively adding compliance analysts rather than just organizing data • The risk of AI agents compounding a single bad underwriting decision across hundreds of data points • The Synapse and Evolve collapse as a cautionary tale for what happens when compliance breaks down • Why Leela is always working in the background, surfacing only the decisions that require human judgment • Reglang, Leela's proprietary language for repeatable, regulator-grade compliance decisions • Design partners and early customers spanning Built, Crypto.com, and startups just getting started on compliance • Why Leela's model is geography-agnostic as it expands into the UK, Dubai, and beyond • Finding co-founder Frank Kim by cold-messaging admired builders on LinkedIn • Closing an oversubscribed $4.6 million pre-seed round from Array Ventures, Female Founders Fund, The Council, Northwestern Mutual, Future Ventures, and fintech operator angels It's a conversation about what happens when someone who has sat on both sides of the compliance divide decides to build the system that finally does the work itself, and why betting on AI-native compliance in financial services might be one of the clearest wedges in the category. FOLLOW PREETI KRISHNAN AND LEELA: Preeti Krishnan LinkedIn Leela withleela.com Leela LinkedIn Leela Instagram Leela Twitter/X Try Leela Demo FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this special off-season episode, Rachel and Amber sit down with Dr. Stacy Sims and Lindsey Abramo, co-founders of Collective X Health, to mark the company's public launch and oversubscribed pre-seed raise, a round The Council led as the first check in. Stacy, an exercise physiologist who has spent her career researching sex differences in physiology, nutrition, and performance, and Lindsey, a commercial operator who scaled go-to-market teams at POPSUGAR, Refinery29, and Leaf Group before selling her last company, walk through why they built Collective X as the missing research layer behind women's health data. They share how even AI models like Claude get basic women's health questions wrong by default, and why that failure compounds at scale: wearables, apps, and chatbots keep training on the same male-normed data because almost no one is correcting it at the source. The conversation digs into the mechanics of building an evidence business: why Collective X chose B2B distribution over a consumer app, how they turned orphaned data sets from two shuttered companies into new research, and what it took to raise capital as a predominantly female-founded team in a category investors have historically dismissed as too small. We cover: • The hike in New Zealand where Amber Illig and Stacy Sims first sketched out the idea for Collective X • How Stacy, Lindsey, and co-founders Angelica Marden and Amber Taylor found each other through a shared advisor • Why the founding team works "transdisciplinary" instead of staying siloed in their own expertise • Stacy's real-time experiment pushing back on Claude over the "no caffeine for 90 minutes" myth • Why the best AI models still fail women's health questions roughly 60% of the time • Amber Illig's viral Twitter post about her LDL cholesterol results and the flood of bad advice that followed • How algorithmic feedback loops keep reinforcing outdated fear-based narratives like the Women's Health Initiative • Why Collective X launched B2B first, using "total women served" as its North Star metric • Launch partners Human Powered Health and Ultra, and how the intelligence layer compounds with each customer • Acquiring and re-analyzing the Wild AI and Eternal Health data sets after both companies shut down • Why half of Collective X's prospective customers are volunteering their own data instead of guarding it • Closing an oversubscribed, predominantly female-backed pre-seed round, and the "hike test" they used to vet investors It's a conversation about what happens when a team of first builders decides to fix the data layer underneath an entire category, and why betting on women's health as venture scale, not a nonprofit cause, might be the biggest market call in the room. FOLLOW STACY SIMS & LINDSEY ABRAMO: Dr. Stacy Sims LinkedIn Dr. Stacy Sims Instagram Lindsey Abramo LinkedIn Collective X Health collectivex.health Collective X Health LinkedIn Collective X Health Instagram FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

We're wrapping up season 1 of First Builders and giving you a sneak preview of what we are planning for Season 2! Thank you for joining us as we dove into how First Builders become the best founders. FOLLOW AMBER ILLIG: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberillignelson/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/AmberIllig LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberillig/ FOLLOW RACHEL TSUI: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwtsui/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/rachtsui LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheltsui/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

No guest. No script. Just Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui, General Partner and Partner at The Council Capital, sitting down to share what they have been observing across the portfolio, the fundraising market, and the broader economy over the past three to six months. In this bonus episode, the hosts pull back the curtain on the gap between the headlines and the reality. AI agents are more expensive than promised. SaaS is very much alive. And the most interesting companies right now are building in healthcare and manufacturing, not just software. Amber and Rachel bring sharp takes shaped by boardroom conversations, portfolio check-ins, and firsthand visits to factory floors. Together they tackle the narratives that deserve a second look: the AI bubble question, inflated pre-seed valuations, token maxing gone wrong, and why community might be the most underrated distribution strategy in 2026. They also go deep on two sectors where the excitement is real, not manufactured: women's health, where Oura Ring reports 70% female users and 90% retention, and industrial manufacturing, where the Vanderbilts of tomorrow are being built right now in cities like Detroit. We cover: • Why AI agents cost more to run than the FTEs they were supposed to replace • The CFO backlash against token maxing and what it signals for enterprise AI budgets • Why SaaS is not dead, and the vertical AI companies still exceeding quarterly targets • How inflated pre-seed valuations are stalling deals with no lead willing to set terms • Community-led growth as the most underrated go-to-market strategy in 2026 • The three healthcare trends dominating this year: consumerization, clinical decision support, and women's health • Why Oura Ring's pivot toward women drove their user base to 70% female with 90% retention • The preventative health wave and what it means for pharma, insurance, and founders building in longevity • Why this is the moment for vertically integrated manufacturing, and what made Nox Metals the first bet • What Amber saw in Detroit during the Reindustrialized conference and why generalist VCs are finally paying attention • How posting a factory video on Instagram drove 110,000 views and what it reveals about mainstream appetite for American reindustrialization SaaS is not dead. Women's health is the category everyone should have been watching. And the industrial titans of tomorrow are being built right now, before most people are paying attention. FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

Georgia Rust is the Creation Engine Product Lead at Figma, where she leads the team behind generative AI plugins, shaders, design systems, and the core canvas capabilities that over ten thousand designers flew to Config 2026 to see unveiled. In this episode, Georgia shares what it means to build at the intersection of design and AI, why the creative community's fear of being automated away gets the story exactly backwards, and what she learned presenting Figma's most ambitious launches yet to a sold-out crowd just weeks ago. She brings a perspective forged across a deliberately non-linear career: solutions engineering at GitHub, founding PM at a five-person startup, senior PM at Abstract, and nearly four years building at Figma. The conversation goes deep on what separates operators who thrive inside high-growth companies from those who struggle, how Figma's designer community became one of its most powerful competitive advantages, and why Georgia believes the AI era is ushering in a specialist era, not a generalist one. We cover: • Georgia's path from solutions engineering at GitHub to founding PM to Creation Engine Lead at Figma • What it actually means to be the first PM at a five-person startup, including a second-place Product Hunt launch • How Figma scaled from two products to a platform and the edge cases that came with it • Config 2026: generative plugins, shaders, and code as a core primitive on the design canvas • The "Is Design Dead?" debate and why the last 20% of craft is becoming more valuable, not less • How the Figma AI agent writes shader code so designers never have to, and what that changes about who gets to make visual effects • What it takes to thrive as an operator inside a high-growth company: grit, resilience to rejection, and creativity when the answer is no • How Figma's internal PM team uses Claude MCP and custom AI skills, including one Georgia built herself to track unanswered Slack threads • The power of Config as "camp for creatives" and why Figma's community is one of its most durable competitive advantages • Deep House Wines: how Georgia is scaling from home winemaking to buying three tons of grapes and launching a label in Anderson Valley If there is one thread running through this episode, it is that knowing what to ask for is becoming the most important skill in the age of AI. FOLLOW GEORGIA RUST Georgia Rust LinkedIn Georgia on Twitter/X: @georgiarust3 Deephouse Wines: https://www.deephousewines.com/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

Kristina Subbotina is the founder and CEO of Lexsy, an AI-powered legal operating system built for startups and the venture funds that back them. After nearly a decade inside the system, clerking for a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit, practicing at Cooley, and advising startups through their full lifecycle, she launched one of the first AI law firms in 2023, serving over 100 startups and reaching $400K ARR in her first five months with zero ad spend. In this episode, Kristina shares how she's building Lexsy as a full legal operating system: self-updating cap tables, organized corporate records, and specialized AI agents across corporate, employment, litigation, data privacy, and tech transactions, all with a human lawyer in the loop. She explains why AI accuracy on legal tasks sits at just 13.3% without expert oversight, why great lawyers will only get more expensive, and how founders should actually be using AI for legal work without creating expensive disasters. The conversation also covers what it takes to build a real distribution moat from zero: how seven figures in revenue came from TikTok and Instagram without a dollar spent on advertising, why social media is a permissionless way to build trust at scale, and what immigrant founders building in the US need to understand about the system they're navigating. We cover: • How Kristina came to the US alone in 2014 with a full scholarship to USC Law and built a career from scratch • What a decade inside startups, big law, and federal court taught her about the full startup lifecycle • Why AI accuracy on legal tasks is only 13.3% without a human lawyer in the loop • The two mistakes founders make when using AI for legal documents, and what to do instead • The $11,000 consulting agreement disaster that should have cost $500 • Why 80-90% of legal can run on autopilot, and when to bring in a specialist • How Kristina built seven-figure revenue with zero advertising through authentic social content • Social media as a permissionless way to build trust at scale • Hiring A-players: why it is a long-term relationship game and why you cannot cut corners • Three wishes: simpler immigration, smarter legal basics for founders, and Lexsy being "that girl" Kristina's story is a blueprint for what happens when you stop waiting for permission, from the legal establishment, the algorithm, or the startup ecosystem. FOLLOW KRISTINA SUBBOTINA Kristina Subbotina LinkedIn Kristina Subbotina: @kristinasubbotina.esq (Instagram & TikTok) Lexsy: lexsy.ai Lexsy: @lexsy.ai (Instagram) FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Wyatt Stokesberry, Co-Founder and CEO of Molli Health. Wyatt spent years inside the health insurance machine, rising from early employee to Executive Vice President at Excel Health Plans before walking away to build a new model from scratch, one designed specifically for the 70 million Americans who work for themselves. Wyatt explains why the traditional health insurance supply chain is engineered to profit from opacity, and how self-funded plans, long available to large employers, can be unlocked for independent contractors and freelancers. He breaks down how Molli is pricing 20% below comparable ACA plans by eliminating the middlemen, charging a flat fee that gets more durable as membership scales, and building AI-powered member tools that actually help people understand their coverage. This episode explores the ACA marketplace's accelerating breakdown, why 1099 workers have been the industry's most overlooked segment, and what it takes to build deliberately and durably in one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country. We cover: Why the ACA marketplace is failing 1099 workers: rising deductibles, PPO plans disappearing, and major insurers exiting How fully-insured vs. self-funded health plans create fundamentally different cost structures The 1099 workforce boom: 70 million today, projected to hit 100 million by 2027 Why misaligned incentives and government subsidies have stalled health insurance innovation Building on a Cigna PPO network and designing plans that move with members between 1099 and W-2 status Creating a member experience with 45-second hold times and a single source of truth for claims, pharmacy, and providers How AI agents help members get real-time answers about their coverage without reading a 200-page plan document Pricing 20% below ACA plans: where the savings actually come from and why they compound at scale Three or four pivots before landing on the 1099 gap, and what that says about finding the right problem Fundraising in a complex industry: why the right investors back the team, not the product Moving from Reno to San Francisco and the Midwest mindset that keeps you from moving fast and breaking things in a regulated industry Why ICHRA is an administrative band-aid on the same outdated ACA products This episode is a behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring transparent, self-funded health insurance to the most underserved segment in the market, and why the business of one deserves better. FOLLOW WYATT STOKESBERRY Wyatt Stokesberry LinkedIn Wyatt Stokesberry on X: @OG_Stokes Molli Health: mollihealth.com Molli Health Socials: @mollihealth FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui talk with Kyle McAllister , Co-founder and CEO of Trially, about what it really looks like to build inside the clinical trial ecosystem. Kyle shares how his experience working across Epic and Cerner shaped his understanding of healthcare systems and why clinical trials remain one of the most operationally complex parts of the industry. What seems like a data challenge at first often turns out to be a workflow and coordination problem in practice. Through Trially, the team is focused on helping clinical sites identify and enroll patients more efficiently by working directly within existing systems. Instead of replacing infrastructure, the goal is to improve how teams operate day to day. Amber and Rachel also explore what it takes to build in healthcare, from establishing trust with customers to navigating long timelines and deeply embedded processes. The conversation highlights how credibility and real experience in the space can change the trajectory of a company early on. Topics covered: What EHR implementations look like on the ground Where clinical trial workflows slow down Why connecting healthcare systems is difficult How trust influences adoption in clinical environments The role of AI in improving patient matching Building with co-founders from different backgrounds Selling into healthcare organizations Why progress in healthcare takes time Lessons from moving into entrepreneurship This episode offers a grounded look at building in healthcare, where progress depends on understanding both the systems and the people operating within them. FOLLOW KYLE MCALLISTER Website: https://www.trially.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemcallister FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Meagan Gamache , VP of Product at Render, to explore what it really means to build products for the people who build everything else. Meagan shares her unconventional path from biology and academic research into engineering at Heroku, where she discovered a deep appreciation for the speed, feedback loops, and craftsmanship of developer tools. From there, she went on to help shape some of the most influential platforms in tech, including Slack, Figma, and Webflow before stepping into a leadership role at Render during the rise of AI-native development. The conversation dives into the nuances of building platforms that scale, from defining early developer ecosystems at Slack to enabling cross-company collaboration at Figma. Meagan also unpacks how product leaders evolve into company builders, what it takes to hire high-impact teams, and why clarity of thinking matters more than ever in an AI-driven world. They also explore how emerging technologies are reshaping software creation, why the “SaaS apocalypse” may be overstated, and how the next generation of tools will empower a new wave of builders while still demanding deep expertise and strong judgment. Topics covered include: What “craft” really means in developer tools and why it matters Lessons from building platforms at Heroku, Slack, and Figma Transitioning from engineering into product leadership How to design products that scale across teams and organizations Hiring and building high-agency product teams The evolving role of product leaders in shaping company strategy Why SaaS isn’t going away and what’s misunderstood about AI builders The difference between systems of record and systems of action How ecosystems succeed (and why most fail) The responsibility of building infrastructure used by millions This episode offers a thoughtful look at building enduring products, leading with intention, and navigating the shifting landscape of software in the age of AI. FOLLOW MEAGAN GAMACHE X: @meaganrgamache LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/renderco/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Zane Hengsperger , Founder and CEO of Nox Metals, an AI-powered metal supplier building automated factories in Detroit. Zane grew up around manufacturing. His father owned a machine shop, and from an early age he saw how the industry actually works on the ground. After a brief stint in tech, he made a deliberate decision to return to the industrial world, driven by a belief that rebuilding America’s manufacturing base is both economically and strategically critical. Through Nox Metals, Zane is rethinking how raw materials move through the supply chain. By combining software, automation, and factory operations, his team is working to deliver metal faster, more reliably, and at lower cost. The goal is not just incremental improvement, but a fundamental shift in how industrial supply chains operate. This conversation explores what it really takes to build a hard tech company, from running a physical factory to navigating outdated systems and unlocking speed through technology. It also highlights why manufacturing is becoming one of the most important frontiers for builders today. WHAT WE COVER Why Zane left tech to pursue manufacturing and reindustrialization How the metal supply chain actually works and where it breaks down Treating the factory itself as the product Using software and AI to compress timelines from days into hours Why U.S.-based production has a growing advantage in speed and responsiveness Selling modern tools to industries that have operated the same way for decades The importance of capturing tribal knowledge and digitizing factory operations Building in public and how it impacts hiring, customers, and momentum The realities of running a physical operation where problems cannot be solved from a laptop Why raw capacity, not just innovation, is critical to rebuilding industry This episode is a clear look at what building in the physical world actually demands. It challenges the idea that the most important companies will be purely software-driven and makes the case that the next wave of impact will come from combining software with real-world infrastructure. Zane’s perspective also highlights a broader shift. Manufacturing is no longer just legacy industry. It is becoming a space where ambitious founders can tackle massive, unsolved problems with both economic and national significance. FOLLOW ZANE HENGSPERGER Website: https://noxmetals.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanehh/ X: https://x.com/zanehengsperger TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@noxmetals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Nox-Metals/61586796136699/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noxmetals.co/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Eliana Berger, Co-Founder and CEO of Joyful Health, following the company’s recent $22M raise and rapid growth. Joyful Health began with a simple but overlooked issue. Healthcare providers often have no clear way to track or recover the revenue they are owed. Financial data is scattered across systems, timelines are unclear, and significant portions of revenue go uncollected. After spending months working directly inside practices, Eliana built Joyful Health to bring that data into one place and help providers understand and recover what they are owed. As the company has grown, the experience has been less about finding demand and more about keeping up with it. The team is expanding quickly, onboarding larger customers, and building infrastructure in parallel with growth. This conversation explores what it looks like to build in a market that is shifting quickly and how that changes the pace and pressure of execution. We cover: Why distribution came easier than expected and what that changes What it feels like when demand outpaces internal systems How recent advances have shortened implementation timelines Hiring ahead of need and planning beyond the current moment Building community as a long-term advantage, not just a marketing channel The shift from early vision to proof and traction in later stages Staying focused while opportunities continue to expand This episode is a look at building when conditions are moving in your favor and what it takes to keep pace without losing discipline. FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders, Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Tina Hwang, Head of Legal at ClassDojo, whose career spans some of the most consequential moments in modern tech. From Google’s rise to WhatsApp’s global expansion, Twitter’s governance transition, and Ancestry’s privacy leadership, Tina has operated at the intersection of hypergrowth, regulation, and trust. Tina shares why legal isn’t just a safeguard but a strategic lever for growth, especially in globally scaled, highly regulated environments, and draws on her experience building governance systems for companies serving billions of users to explain how trust becomes infrastructure, not just a brand attribute. She explores how companies can navigate ambiguity, balance speed with responsibility, and design products that earn long-term trust across cultures and geographies, while also reflecting on leadership in uncertain moments and why empowering teams, not having all the answers, is what truly defines effective leaders. We cover: Why legal strategy should be embedded into business and product decisions from day one Lessons from scaling WhatsApp globally across complex regulatory environments How trust is built through product design, not just policy The myth that “good tech wins” and why global success is also political and cultural Designing for different cultural norms, user expectations, and regulatory systems Trade-offs between speed and safety and how to make reasoned risk decisions Why regulation can be a foundation for growth, not just a constraint Building industry-wide frameworks like in consumer health data to earn user trust Leadership in ambiguity and creating context instead of providing answers The importance of reflection, focus, and decision-making under uncertainty This episode is a deep dive into what it takes to build responsibly at scale and how trust, when treated as a core design principle, becomes a company’s most durable advantage. FOLLOW TINA HWANG Book- Careless People ⁠Tina Hwang LinkedIn⁠ ⁠ClassDojo LinkedIn⁠ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Siran Cao , Co-Founder and CEO of Mirza, a company simplifying how families access public benefits. Inspired by her childhood navigating fragmented systems and later by scaling frontline operations at Uber, Siran is on a mission to modernize the safety net with dignity at its core. Mirza offers a streamlined, mobile-first platform that helps families apply for childcare, nutrition, and health benefits through one unified experience. Siran explains why the care economy is not just a social issue, but critical workforce infrastructure. When childcare is inaccessible, labor participation declines. When benefits are too complex, billions go unclaimed. This conversation explores what it takes to build in a shifting policy landscape and how technology can help restore trust in the systems families rely on. We cover: The “benefits cliff” and how current systems discourage upward mobility Designing for dignity when serving families who have been failed by institutions Why trust, not just awareness, is the real barrier in benefits access Navigating legacy government systems built on decades-old infrastructure Expanding from childcare to nutrition and healthcare benefits without losing focus Translating impact into economic data for policymakers and partners Lessons from early Uber: moving fast without asking permission and knowing when not to be combative Founder mental health, responsibility, and the weight of building mission-driven companies Why care work is foundational workforce infrastructure and largely AI-proof This episode is a powerful look at building technology in service of equity and at what it takes to lead with conviction when the stakes are both deeply personal and nationally consequential. FOLLOW SIRAN CAO Website: heymirza.com LinkedIn: Siran Cao FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Duanni Hurd , Founder and CEO of Starlight Caregivers, to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a business in one of the most essential and human industries: caregiving. Duanni shares her unconventional path from global hardware and graphics companies during Silicon Valley’s golden era to founding and leading a concierge home care organization serving aging adults and people with disabilities across the Bay Area. Drawing from her experience at Acer, ATI/AMD, and multinational OEM environments, she reflects on how lessons in execution, cross-functional alignment, and resilience translated into building a 24/7 healthcare operation from the ground up. Now, more than 13 years into building Starlight Caregivers, Duanni discusses the realities of running a mission-critical service business, leading through COVID, earning trust in deeply personal moments of families’ lives, and why empathy is not just a value but an operating advantage. The conversation also explores scaling challenges in the care economy, the limits of “Uberizing” healthcare, responsible uses of AI, and how writing, the arts, and yoga shape her leadership philosophy. Why empathy is a competitive advantage in essential industries Lessons from global tech leadership that translate to caregiving The “speeding ticket” lesson: moving fast without leaving your team behind Leading through crisis during COVID in a 24/7 healthcare operation Why scaling caregiving is harder than scaling software The limits of automation and where AI can responsibly support care Building trust with families in high-stakes, end-of-life environments Writing, policy engagement, and community leadership beyond the company Balancing long-term entrepreneurship with personal resilience and wellness This episode is a thoughtful conversation about building in the care economy, leading with humility, and creating impact that extends far beyond financial returns. FOLLOW DUANNI HURD Website: https://starlightcaregivers.com Instagram: @duannihurd and @duanniduanni FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Filip Aronshtein , Founder and CEO of Dirac, to unpack what it takes to create software for the physical world and why assembly, not just design or production, is the missing layer in modern manufacturing. Fil shares his path from neuroscience labs and defense research into entrepreneurship, including work on brain computer interfaces, radar systems, and classified hardware programs. He reflects on why he has consistently gravitated toward technically demanding problems, how an early healthcare hardware venture shaped his views on responsibility and risk, and what is at stake if the West continues to lose hands on manufacturing expertise. At Dirac, Filip is developing an automated work instruction and assembly platform that translates CAD designs into executable, shop floor ready workflows. The conversation explores the realities of shipping software into hardware first industries, earning credibility with legacy manufacturers, navigating long sales cycles, and designing systems that extend rather than disrupt existing infrastructure. They also discuss leadership evolution, founder psychology, hiring for high agency, and why reshoring and reindustrialization must be cultural shifts as much as technical ones. Topics covered include: Why assembly is the most underestimated constraint in manufacturing Insights from working across defense, healthcare, and industrial systems What high agency teams look like in practice Establishing trust in mission critical factory environments Bridging the gap between hardware timelines and software velocity Reindustrialization, reshoring, and restoring manufacturing capability When execution matters more than technical perfection The difference between elegant ideas and outcomes that scale This episode is a deep dive into creating resilient systems for the physical economy and leading with conviction, discipline, and a long term view of impact. FOLLOW FILIP ARONSHSTEIN Website: https://www.diracinc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/filip-aronshtein/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/filarons FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Lina Scroggins , SVP and Chief Product Officer at Mercy, to explore what it means to build and lead product orgåanizations inside some of the most complex, high-stakes environments. Lina shares her journey spending nearly two decades at Google, where she helped build systems and teams during the company’s formative growth years, before transitioning into healthcare. She reflects on what changes when products are no longer abstract software experiences but tools that directly affect patients, providers, and underserved communities. Now at Mercy, one of the 15 largest health systems in the United States, Lina is focused on unifying consumer-facing and clinical technology to deliver a more seamless patient experience, particularly across rural America. The conversation dives into product leadership at scale, operating within regulated environments, aligning data and infrastructure, and building trust-driven technology where failure is not an option. Topics covered include: What early Google taught Lina about scaling systems and organizations Transitioning from consumer tech to healthcare and what fundamentally changes Building product strategy in regulated, mission-critical environments Designing technology that earns trust from both patients and providers Leading through ambiguity and aligning teams around long-term impact Why healthcare product leaders must think beyond speed and features Serving rural and underserved populations through thoughtful technology This episode is a deep dive into product leadership with real-world consequences, and what it takes to build durable systems that truly serve people. FOLLOW LINA SCROGGINS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lina-scroggins/ · Mercy Leadership Team · Mercy.net · MyMercy app · Mercy Quick Facts Scroggins, now part of the Mercy leadership team , will be leading efforts to strengthen the health system’s digital experience, including Mercy.net and MyMercy app . Mercy is one of the15 largest U.S. health systems and serves millions across multiple states, operating one of the nation’s largest, highest‑performing Accountable Care Organizations. FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Charles Julius , Co-Founder and CEO of Loamy, to explore what it really takes to build platforms for essential, historically under-digitized industries. Charles shares his unconventional path from healthcare law to software engineering, and how formative experiences at Procore and Motive (formerly KeepTruckin) shaped his philosophy around platform building, customer trust, and leadership. He reflects on building marketplaces and developer ecosystems inside construction and logistics - and how those lessons now apply to the food supply chain, where even small operational failures can create massive downstream impact. Now at Loamy, Charles is focused on reducing food loss by building an operating system for food manufacturers and distributors bringing visibility, AI-driven insights, and end-to-end coordination to one of the most complex supply chains in the physical economy. The conversation covers leadership growth, co-founder dynamics, earning customer trust in mission-critical environments, and why great design and customer empathy matter more than speed. Why customer trust is the foundation of platform adoption in essential industries Lessons from building marketplaces at Procore and enterprise platforms at Motive Transitioning from law to engineering and learning by getting uncomfortable Applying AI responsibly in high-stakes, operational environments How Loamy is tackling food waste across manufacturers and distributors The difference between being “right” and being an effective leader Co-founder relationships, communication, and long-term partnership Why design-led workflows outperform tech-first solutions This episode is a deep dive into building durable platforms for the physical economy, and leading with humility, resilience, and purpose. FOLLOW CHARLES JULIUS Website: https://getloamy.com Email: charles@getloamy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-julius/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with David Apple , founder and CEO of Shark Tooth Biotech , to explore purpose-driven building, rare disease innovation, and what it really takes to start over in an entirely new industry. David helped scale two of the most iconic SaaS companies of the last decade—Typeform and Notion—as an early go-to-market leader. Today, he’s bringing those same first-principles instincts to biotech, building Shark Tooth Biotech to develop treatments for CMT1A, a rare, progressive neurological disease affecting his young son and more than a million people worldwide. He shares how his son’s diagnosis reshaped his definition of success, why rare diseases remain underfunded despite impacting 1 in 10 people globally, and how AI, drug repurposing, and unconventional paths can accelerate progress in a traditionally slow field—while reflecting on scaling early teams, building with personal stakes, and why curiosity, retention, and purpose matter more than ever for founders. Why early-stage building starts with first principles, not optimization Lessons from scaling Typeform and Notion from zero to global adoption Why retention—not acquisition—is the foundation of sustainable growth What most tech founders misunderstand about biotech fundraising How AI is accelerating drug discovery and repurposing The emotional highs and lows of building a company for your child Why founders should prioritize purpose alongside commercial outcomes This conversation is a powerful look at building not just for scale, but for impact. FOLLOW DAVID APPLE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appledavid/ Twitter/X: @davidcapple https://www.sharktooth.bio/ FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

In this holiday special episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down to reflect on 2025, what it was like to build The Council in this tumultuous year, the launch of First Builders, and some predictions for 2026. In this conversation, Amber and Rachel discuss: Firm highlights like Rachel joining full time, starting to deploy Fund II, and launching the podcast Viral moments from 2025 like Soham Parekh going viral, PR being handled well and not well (i.e. Bryan Johnson’s love letter vs. Coldplay video cam) 2025 market reflections, especially how everyone entered the year with optimism on IPO and M&A market opening up and then tariffs were announced The AI boom and predictions on the bubble, and what companies are more durable vs. others Amber and Rachel’s predictions for the market in 2026! Thank you to all of our listeners for an amazing first year of First Builders! FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council

AI is moving faster than ever—but reliability remains the missing layer. In this episode of First Builders , hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with Haroon Choudery, founder and CEO of Autoblocks AI, to unpack what it takes to build trustworthy AI systems in high-stakes, regulated environments. Haroon has spent over a decade building at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and infrastructure, with a career that spans early work with Mark Cuban on computer vision projects, foundational roles at Komodo Health, and the launch of a nonprofit focused on AI education. Haroon shares how his early exposure to machine learning—and the real-world consequences of rapid technological change—shaped his belief that education, reliability, and proactive risk management are essential to scaling AI responsibly. At Autoblocks, he’s building the testing and evaluation layer that helps companies catch AI issues before their users do, working with customers like Hinge Health to ensure AI applications meet the highest standards of safety and performance. In this conversation, Haroon discusses: Why testing and evaluation are the missing infrastructure layer in AI What “reliability” really means for generative AI systems Why healthcare is a proving ground for high-stakes AI adoption How founders can scale AI safely without sacrificing speed The role of education in reducing uncertainty and building trust Why generalist skill sets and wearing many hats matter for early builders This conversation explores what it takes to build AI that works beyond the demo, where trust, reliability, and education play a central role alongside innovation. FOLLOW HAROON CHOUDERY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroonchoudery/ https://www.autoblocks.ai/ aiready.so FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council