In the Beginning

This episode tells the full story of Lemonade, the insurtech startup that set out to disrupt a century-old industry. Founded in 2015 by Daniel Schreiber and Shai Wininger—outsiders to insurance—they built an AI-first, mission-driven company offering renters, homeowners, car, pet, and life insurance.

We explore their early funding, rapid launch, and standout innovations like AI-powered claims in seconds and the Giveback Program that ...

This episode tells the full story of Brandless, the direct-to-consumer startup founded in 2016 with the mission of offering high-quality household and grocery essentials at “honest prices” by eliminating the so-called “brand tax.” With a sleek, minimalist identity and a bold “everything for $3” model, Brandless raised over $200 million, gained early buzz, and expanded rapidly.

However, the flat pricing strategy strained margins, ful...

This episode tells the full rise-and-fall story of DeadHappy, the UK insurtech that set out to make life insurance bold, simple, and even fun. Founded in 2017 by Phil Zeidler and Andy Knott—both shaped by personal experiences with mortality—DeadHappy disrupted the market with its “Deathwish” concept, a short four-question application, and cheeky branding.

The company grew quickly, reaching 25,000 active policies and £2.5 million in ...

MSCHF is a Brooklyn-based art collective and product studio founded in 2016 by Gabriel Whaley, Lukas Bentel, Kevin Wiesner, and Stephen Tetreault. They specialize in “structured chaos”—launching unpredictable, provocative “drops” every few weeks that blur the line between art, commerce, and internet culture.

Their work spans viral products like Jesus Shoes (Nike sneakers with holy water), Satan Shoes (Nike Air Max 97s with a dro...

Every great company starts with an itch. For Acquired, it was two operators—Ben and David—who kept having the same conversations with friends: “Wait, how did Instagram sell for a billion?” “Why did Berkshire buy a railroad?” The early episodes were short, conversational, and, let’s be honest, recorded on gear you would not use to land a rocket. But they had the thing that matters: curiosity paired with respect for the craft of busi...

This episode of In The Beginning tells the origin story of Duck Commander, founded by Phil Robertson in Louisiana.

It covers how Robertson, an avid hunter dissatisfied with existing duck calls, invented a more realistic-sounding double-reed version in his home workshop. Starting as a seasonal side hustle selling from his truck, the company grew through word-of-mouth among serious hunters. In the early 1970s, Duck Commander became an...

If you follow AI, you’ve probably heard their name. If you don’t follow AI… well, you’ve probably still heard their name. And for good reason.

Anthropic’s story has all the elements of a great Silicon Valley saga: a founding team of ex-OpenAI researchers, a moral disagreement over the direction of the industry, a David-and-Goliath competition with the very company they helped build, and a mission statement that sounds like it belon...