Founder And The City

Netflix, Virtual Crowds, and Why I'm Yelling Business Ideas at My TV

How watching a boxing match from my couch turned into a product pitch for the future of live entertainment

Sep 14 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

1

Why Your Team Thinks You're a Bipolar Asshole

When you haven't changed direction in years

Sep 7 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

4

1

August 2025

Consumer and Purchasing Behavior in Health & Fitness: The Health Spending Paradox

Insights from building Welltory—with citations, research, and uncomfortable truths

Aug 17 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

7

1

The UFC Deal We Walked Away From

And What It Taught Me About Timing

Aug 3 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

3

July 2025

How to Stay Under 150 Employees and Still Grow

“At 150 people, weird stuff starts to happen.” — Chris Cox, Facebook

Jul 19 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

5

What I Wish I'd Known About Early Investors (As a First-Time Founder Who Wasn't "Supposed" to Make It)

I remember investors in the Valley in 2018 telling me "consumer health with direct payment will never work". We smiled, nodded, didn't get the money…

Jul 6 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

2

3

June 2025

You don’t need better prompts. You need a better conversation.

A practical guide for smart people who still don’t get much out of AI — and the VOICE framework to change that.

Jun 21 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

3

How Your Cultural Code Shapes Your Startup

The Blind Spots and Superpowers

Jun 15 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

2

May 2025

Mission Statements Are Bullshit (Until They're Not)

Case studies, research data, and a 4-point checklist to distinguish corporate fluff from missions that drive 3x growth

May 25 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

April 2025

The Asymmetry of Pain: Why Investors Risk Chips While Founders Risk Everything

The story of a founder who lost 90% of his stake for refusing to betray his principles—and why it could happen to any of us

Apr 28 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

Metrics That Motivate: The Psychological Science Behind Driving Product Success

How to bridge the gap between business needs and what teams actually do every day

Apr 19 • 

Jane Smorodnikova

1

1

Why 'Tolerance for Errors' Keeps Me Up at Night

Navigating the impossible tension between innovation and reliability when building products people truly depend on

Apr 6 • 

Jane Smorodnikova